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Following is the transcript (English portion) of the remarks made by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, at a media session at the ground floor lobby, West Wing, Central Government Offices, after the Fight Crime Committee meeting this morning (July 8):
Secretary for Security: The Fight Crime Committee has reviewed the law and order situation in Hong Kong for the first five months of this year. The law and order situation is by and large quite stable. The overall crime rate has dropped by as much as 2% and the violent crime rate by 3.3%. What is positive is that the number of serious narcotics offences has dropped by quite a big margin, as much as over 23%. The number of youngsters committing serious drug offences has dropped by as much as 33%. This is a positive and welcome development. Now summer is approaching and I wish to appeal to our young people, especially students, to stay away from drugs and find some healthy habits and exercises to enrich themselves.
Reporter: Cocaine seizures have increased by 1,000%. You express particular concern about the changing trend. Are you saying that youngsters are nowadays turning to cocaine? The second question is about the drop in the number of youngsters being arrested. Any reason for that? And with the summer holiday just around the corner, what would law enforcers be doing?
Secretary for Security: The number of serious drug offences has dropped by as much as 23 or almost 24%. The number of young serious drug offenders has dropped by as much as 33%. I think this is a good indicator that our fight drug policy is gaining momentum and is gaining effect. This is a positive and welcome development. I think we must keep up our momentum, educating our youngsters to stay away from drugs. The record seizure of cocaine a few months ago indicated that cocaine is gaining a certain popularity among drug offenders. And this is a worrying development. So we have to keep up our effort in stopping the import or the entry of this kind of drug and by escalating our intelligence effort, with co-operation with our counterparts overseas and on the Mainland. For this, the Customs as well as the Police will step up their efforts in stopping all kinds of drugs, including cocaine, from entering Hong Kong.
Reporter: How concerned are you that kids switch to ketamine which is very popular among youngsters?
Secretary for Security: Ketamine is still the most popular drug among drug abusers in Hong Kong, accounting for over 80%. But cocaine is still a minority sort of drug but there are indications that the number of cocaine takers is increasing, although by a small margin. But this is a worrying development. We will, of course in the first place, be telling our youngsters and drug takers in Hong Kong that cocaine will damage their health.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, July 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:27
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