ENG-2015 — Page 309

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Public Order

Ketamine and methamphetamine continued to be the most commonly abused drugs in the territory, accounting for 59.9 per cent of the 4,309 persons arrested for dangerous drugs in 2015.

To tackle transnational drug trafficking, the Narcotics Bureau maintained a strategic partnership with Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies (LEAs), which led to 33 successful joint operations in 2015 that seized 4,557kg of illicit drugs, 1.21 tonnes of methamphetamine semi- products and 515kg of precursor chemicals.

The emergence of new drugs posed challenges to regulators and law enforcement agencies worldwide. Co-ordinated by the Security Bureau, the Narcotics Bureau worked closely with other stakeholders to help amend related legislation and devise effective intervention strategies.

Financial Investigation

The Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU) and the Financial Investigations Division (FID) combated money laundering and terrorist financing activities, while the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment Unit co-ordinated risk assessment exercises. In 2015, 121 persons were convicted of money laundering offences, with $251 million of criminal assets restrained and $139 million confiscated.

The JFIU and FID also took part in international conferences of the Financial Action Task Force, the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence

Units.

Forensic Support

The Identification Bureau provided fingerprint collection, firearms examination and photography services and collected DNA evidence from crime scenes to support crime investigations and prosecutions. In 2015, it linked 611 persons to 532 criminal cases.

A Fingerprint and Palmprint Livescan System, introduced in the fourth quarter of 2014, served to digitise the recording of fingerprints and palmprints for the police and related law enforcement agencies. It won a Bronze Prize of Internal Service Award in the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2015.

Liaison

As the designated contact point with law enforcement agencies on the Mainland and in Taiwan, Macao and overseas countries, the Liaison Bureau (LB) communicated with their liaison officers stationed overseas or in Hong Kong for all police-related matters. It also operated as a sub-bureau of the Interpol National Central Bureau China in dealing with all Interpol-related matters in Hong Kong.

To strengthen international law enforcement co-operation against cross-jurisdictional crime, the police signed and renewed in 2015 a number of memoranda of understanding on combating international crime with strategic partners, including the police of Australia, Cambodia, France, the Netherlands, Singapore and South Korea.

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