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Following is a question by the Hon James Tien and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council today (February 8):
Question:
Recently, a number of juveniles were arrested allegedly for serious offences such as robbery, criminal intimidation, criminal damage and wounding, etc, with the youngest one being 11 years old only. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of juveniles arrested in each of the past three years, and the percentage of such juveniles in all the persons arrested, broken down by the category of offences allegedly committed by them;
(b) whether it has looked into the causes of juvenile crime and ascertained if there is a trend of juveniles committing offences at a younger age; if it has, of the results; and
(c) of the measures to curb juvenile crime?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The number of juveniles arrested in 2003 to 2005, and the percentage of such juveniles in all the persons arrested, broken down by the category of offences allegedly committed by them, are set out at the Appendix.
(b) The Administration has been keeping under review various studies on the causes of crime, including juvenile crime, and has taken them into account in designing its crime prevention and education efforts. These causes range from personal reasons to the social environment.
As seen from the figures at the Appendix, there does not appear to be a discernible increasing trend of juvenile crime. There is also no such indication that crimes are increasingly being committed at a younger age.
(c) Our strategy is to deter first time offenders and to reduce recidivism.
For juvenile offenders, the Police Superintendent's Discretion Scheme (PSDS) has been implemented for years. PSDS emphasises corrective supervision rather than criminal sanction. In addition, depending on the young offender's welfare needs, he/she may be referred to the Police Juvenile Protection Section (JPS), Social Welfare Department (SWD), Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) and Community Support Service Scheme for follow up social services.
As for unruly children below ten years of age coming to their attention, the Police have already established a direct referral mechanism with both the SWD and EMB to strengthen support measures for them. Depending on their needs, the Police would refer the unruly children for support services. A Youth Services Information Leaflet (YSIL) will also be served on the parents/guardians of these children and the Police would refer the appropriate parties to JPS for follow up service.
Moreover, in order to contain any triad infiltration and minimise the adverse effects of juvenile crimes on students, district anti-triad squads and other frontline police officers have continued to conduct anti-crime operations at crime blackspots and known places of frequent by youths.
As far as prevention is concerned, the Administration adopts a multi-agency approach. For example, the Police Secondary School Liaison Officers (SSLOs) and School Liaison Officers (SLOs) maintain liaison with the school management. The Police and EMB have also organised the "The Smart Teen Challenge Programme". The Junior Police Call (JPC) is another effective anti-juvenile crime prevention scheme.
The Administration will continue to closely monitor the trend of juvenile crime in this area, and will adjust its strategies if necessary to ensure that the problem is handled with the most effective means.
Ends/Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:57
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