CP Eddie Hui at the packed press conference

Delivering his 1999 review on January 6, Commissioner of Police Eddie Hui Ki-on said the growing popularity of computers and the Internet, and technological advances in this area, would become a significant aspect of future policing.

Mr Hui said a substantial increase in computer-related crime was recorded in 1999 - 266 cases compared to 38 the previous year. However, he emphasised the figure was still quite low and Police had already launched its counter attack against the problem.

Most of the cases involved hacking, posting obscene articles, criminal damage to data and Internet shopping fraud.

He said investments were made into training and technology during the year to ensure the Force was equipped to tackle any future upsurge in computer crime, particularly as criminals become more sophisticated in carrying out their offences and evading detection.

"With advances in technology and increasing use of the Internet we expect computer-related crime will be a big challenge for law enforcement agencies around the world," Mr Hui said. "However, we now have a unit dealing directly with computer crime. We have some 80 officers throughout the Force who are trained to collect evidence and assist in investigations into these cases."

Mr Hui added the Force was liaising with both the Security, and the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureaux, over the possibility of boosting the investigative power of Police in computer crime, through legislative changes. Existing laws were under constant review to keep pace with the advancing technology.

Courses have been established to train officers in retrieving evidence from computers and the Force was liaising with several tertiary institutions on the development of professional computer forensic examination accreditation programmes.

The Computer Crime Investigation Cadre was formed during the year to maintain a trained unit of computer sleuths in numerous Police Districts to assist, advise and support investigators in cases involving seized computers. They help ensure the recovery of electronic evidence. The Computer Crime Section of the Commercial Crime Bureau was also assisting in this area by training Police investigators on the handling of computers that may contain evidence.

Mr Hui said the Force was also preparing for the future in other areas. Milestones achieved through the year in the Customer Service Improvement Project, such as modernised report rooms and facilities at three police stations, would be expanded Force-wide over the next two-and-a-half years. The new generation Command and Control Centre system was on schedule for implementation in 2004, to improve communication and access to information, greatly enhancing the crime fight. Police Headquarters works were also on schedule.

For 1999, Mr Hui said the continuing economic woes had inevitably led to a general increase in crimes such as criminal intimidation relating to illegal debt-collection, and quick-cash crimes such as pickpocketing and snatching. "It is in this context that the increases in the overall rate of crime and violent crime were held down to just 4.3 and 4.5 per cent respectively. There have, however, also been some areas of significant improvement, with decreased burglaries, bank robberies and incidents involving genuine firearms," Mr Hui said. "Overall reported crime for the year was still lower than that reported in 1996, indicating our anti-crime strategy in recent years has been effective."

He said the Force also defeated major challenges during 1999, particularly with its preparations for millennium celebrations and action against the Y2K virus, along with its frontline responses to the China Airlines crash and Typhoon York.

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