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[Vision and Statement of Common Purpose and Values] [Foreword] [Operations]
[Regional Commanders' Report] [Personnel and Training]
[Management Services] [Finance, Administration and Planning]
[Environmental Report] [Organisation] [Annexes, Crime Charts and Appendices]

 

"To ensure the safety of the community,
the Force is committed to the maintenance of order at
public events and rapid response to emergencies."

 
Regional Commanders' Report
 
    During the year the six Regional Commanders continued to focus on deterring crime through flexible deployment of a strong, uniformed Police presence and enhanced coverage of high-risk premises. Full Police coverage was also given to various large-scale public order events in order to maintain a high level of public safety.

    Partnership with the community is an essential part of the overall fight against crime and communal health problems. During the SARS outbreak the Regions worked closely with the Department of Health and other Government departments in enforcing the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance.

    For the future, we will continue to seek the highest level of operational deployment, we will enlist public support in the fight against crime, suppression of triads and reduction in the abuse of drugs, and we will maintain close liaison with other law enforcement agencies and departments in the exchange of operational intelligence.

Hong Kong Island Region

    In line with the rising trend territory-wide, Hong Kong Island (HKI) Region noted an increase in overall crime as compared to the preceding year. To combat this trend, a Regional Taskforce was formed to pursue various anti-crime operations during the year. Currently, the Region works closely with the Crime Prevention Bureau, Police Public Relations Branch and District Fight Crime Committees to enlist the support of the community in the fight against crime. The Junior Police Call and the Hong Kong Awards for Young People continued to be significant programmes, allowing young people to be trained as confident law-abiding citizens and crime-fighting ambassadors. Action against the abuse of psychotropic drugs was maintained, resulting in the arrest of 396 persons, the seizure of 1.3 kilograms of Ketamine and over 7 650 tablets of MDMA.

    During 2003, the Region continued to devote substantial resources and time to policing public order and crowd management events. A total of 638 public meetings, 359 public processions and 1 171 crowd management events were successfully managed. Major public order events were the July 1 public procession, State Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Hong Kong, the CEO Forum, the 2003 District Council Election and the visit of the first Chinese astronaut Colonel Yang Liwei. The Region also undertook crowd management duties for a number of "Relaunch Hong Kong" activities, such as the Hong Kong League Vs Real Madrid Exhibition Football Match held at Hong Kong Stadium. Public safety is the highest priority during such events and it is rewarding to note that there were minimal incidents and no significant threats to public safety.

    The Region also played a key role in executing the quarantine order during the SARS outbreak. Officers from the resident PTU Company took part in escort duties for residents of Block E of Amoy Gardens who were moved to the isolation camps in Lei Yue Mun, and Chai Wan Divisional officers undertook security at the camp throughout the quarantine period. A high degree of commitment was displayed by Regional police officers during this most tense and difficult of times.

Kowloon East Region

    Kowloon East (KE) Region recorded an increase in overall crime of 27 per cent as compared to the preceding year. The increase was mainly attributable to the upsurge in "quick cash" crimes such as bullying type robberies and miscellaneous thefts. Burglaries also rose by 22 per cent. However, due to stringent enforcement action and the preventive effect of continuous anti-juvenile crime publicity campaigns, significant decreases were recorded in serious crimes, including robberies with pistol-like-objects and serious narcotics cases as well as the number of young persons arrested for crimes.

    On the anti-triad front, KE maintained a firm grip over related activities. Throughout 2003, three large-scale operations against youth crimes and one prolonged undercover operation against drug trafficking activities, particularly involving youngsters, were mounted. In addition, joint efforts continued with the Customs and Excise Department to combat the unlawful selling of duty-not-paid cigarettes, illicit fuels and pirated optical discs.

    Operationally KE also committed considerable manpower to policing a number of festive events, such as those at Wong Tai Sin Temple and Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery. Crime KE led the Region to launch the CCTV and Knowledge Management projects to best capitalise on advances in information technology to enable speedy response times to be achieved within the Region.

    In 2003, the continued expansion of rail networks greatly increased our commitment to railway policing. The Mass Transit Railway District was renamed as Railway District in June in anticipation of increasing policing demands. The first phase involved full policing of the KCR West Rail, which came into operation on December 20, 2003.

    During the SARS outbreak in April 2003, the professional pride, courage and dedication of KE officers helped beat the disease by successfully tracing 115 affected households in Amoy Gardens over a three-day period.

Kowloon West Region

    In 2003, Kowloon West (KW) Region witnessed an increase in the overall crime rate of 12 per cent. Given the number of entertainment premises in the Region, enforcement action against illegal drug activity was maintained. Drugs raids carried out within the Region achieved a 91 per cent success rate last year with heroin remaining the predominant drug seized. Arrests for heroin-related offences accounted for 34 per cent of the total arrests. In 2003, 644 persons under the age of 21 were arrested in relation to drug-related offences.

    In response, Regional resources remained committed to targeting those responsible for the distribution and supply of illicit drugs as well as maintaining enforcement action including "controlled buy" operations at black spots that were identified as being breeding grounds for such activity.

    In response to concerns from the local community, joint enforcement actions of Yau Tsim District and KW Regional Units as well as with the Immigration Department were taken throughout the year, targeting street soliciting, illegal Mainland sex workers and organised gangs controlling and profiting from the sex trade.

    During the year, there were 608 triad-related offences in the Region, representing a decrease of 11 per cent as compared to the previous year. KW also mounted numerous operations with other Government departments to curb street-level triad sources of income. A large number of arrests were made with considerable seizures of illegal items such as obscene and pirated discs.

    Juveniles and juvenile involvement in crime remained one of the Region's policing priorities, with the Region working closely with other Government departments and non-government organisations. In order to overcome the financial constraints on Government resources, for the last three years KW has invited a group of community philanthropists to form a Kowloon West Youth-Care Committee whose objective is to help foster a proper, healthy environment for youngsters in the Region and to run programmes. Five major projects were undertaken during the year, including publications, workshops, summer camps and visits to correctional facilities.

New Territories North Region

    In line with the territory trend, New Territories North (NTN) Region recorded a mild increase in overall crime figures. Miscellaneous theft was the most significant offence. Sophisticated policing plans and a wide range of anti-crime initiatives effectively brought down key crimes like robbery and wounding. Burglary reports also declined.

    In an effort to reduce juvenile crime, the Juvenile Protection Section worked closely with social workers from non-government organisations to arrange a variety of activities for young people. Together with the Social Welfare Department, the Region also offered advice to parents who might have problems taking care of their children. Elections for Village Representatives and those for Rural Committees were concluded smoothly. The success in policing these events owed much to the active participation of NTN units and support from the public.

    The Joint Command Centre (JCC) was commissioned at the Lo Wu Border Crossing Point in September to handle the increase in pedestrian flow that was expected during the "Golden Week" Holiday on the Mainland. The JCC brought together Police, Immigration and Customs, together with representatives from the Transport Department and KCRC under one roof. Use of monitoring cameras and increased liaison with relevant Mainland authorities resulted in a much smoother flow of boundary crossers. The year also saw the completion of a project that allows our Mainland counterparts to share CCTV signals from along the Border Fence. This capability will provide the authorities on the Mainland a much greater surveillance capability with a view to further curbing illegal immigration.

New Territories South Region

    The crimes reported in New Territories South (NTS) Region in 2003 were slightly higher than the number reported in 2002. The largest rises were seen in non-violent and opportunistic crime such as miscellaneous thefts and criminal damage. No genuine firearm-related crime was reported in the year and robberies saw a significant drop.

    The level of juvenile crime, as measured by the 1119 juveniles arrested and the 866 cases in which they were involved, dropped to the lowest level since the Region was formed in 1993. The drop is indicative of the efforts the Region has made by way of anti-juvenile crime publicity campaigns and the deterrent effect of successful undercover operations.

    The Region was heavily involved in the operations to contain the SARS epidemic in the early part of the year. Tin Sum Division, where the Prince of Wales Hospital is situated, was awarded a Formation Commendation by the Commissioner of Police for the Division's handling of the initial outbreak and for the formulation of plans and procedures that were eventually adopted Force-wide.

    A number of covert anti-triad, anti-dangerous drug and anti-crime operations were mounted during the year. In March 2003, a Vietnamese shop-theft syndicate active throughout Hong Kong was neutralised as a result of an intelligence-based operation mounted by Sha Tin District.

    There was a downward trend in traffic accidents in 2003. NTS officers conducted visible enforcement action as a deterrent at known accident and speeding black spots, which was supported by the use of speeding and red light cameras. In addition, there was an increase in the number of prosecutions against drink driving offenders. In July, a tragic incident took place when a double-decker bus plunged from Tuen Mun Highway onto a slope below resulting in the death of 21 people and 20 serious injuries. The Police, in conjunction with other departments, mounted a well co-ordinated rescue operation.

    During the year, the Region conducted a number of security operations for internationally protected persons who visited Hong Kong, via the Hong Kong International Airport. The most notable of these was the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao for the 6th Anniversary Celebration of the Establishment of the HKSAR.

    Anti-terrorist capabilities were strengthened with the addition of a tactical firing range, which enabled training to be performed in a more realistic environment. This was augmented by the purchase of a computer system, which will greatly aid planning capabilities in the event of a major operation. A high level of readiness continues to be maintained to ensure that Hong Kong International Airport remains one of the safest airports in the world.

Marine Region

    During the year, Marine Region continued to commit resources to combating highly organised smuggling activities. The strategic deployment of high speed offshore interceptors supported by divisional resources in both departmental and inter-departmental operations led to record seizures of contraband at sea. In conjunction with Customs and Excise, a considerable amount of contraband concealed in Mainland bound container shipments was also seized on land.

    Victoria Harbour was again the scene of several spectacular fireworks displays during 2003, which attracted large crowds and numerous vessels. A considerable number of Marine Police launches were deployed to police these events and to ensure local residents and tourists alike safely enjoyed themselves. The historic "Around the Island Race", which dates back to 1864, was re-launched in 2003, returning to its original course as part of a series of events designed to promote Hong Kong in the aftermath of SARS. The participation of several international and Olympic yachtsmen greatly enhanced the prestige of this event.

 
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