Off Beat

Second bilateral meeting
between Hong Kong and Mainland Police

Hong Kong Police and mainland Public Security authorities reviewed their channels for co-operation during a high-level meeting in early December with both sides coming away extremely satisfied with the existing arrangements.

CP Hui Ki-on said: "A delegation led by Zhu Entao (Assistant to Minister, Ministry of Public Security and Head of the Interpol National Criminal Bureau China) arrived in Hong Kong on December 2 for the second bilateral meeting between the Hong Kong Police and the Ministry of Public Security which is divided into high-level and working-level sessions.

"We have discussed and reviewed the channels for bilateral co-operation touching on the crime situation and figures of both places, and are satisfied with the present arrangements," he added.

Mr Hui noted that while Hong Kong Police are keeping close contacts with the Ministry of Public Security and the authorities of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai in the investigation of crimes and intelligence exchange, the liaison of police-related affairs such as culture and sports was being handled by the Office of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Affairs, Ministry of Public Security.

Zhu Entao and entourage visiting LegCo: "Our co-operation in investigations, combating organised and commercial crimes, and dangerous drugs has been good"

He also pointed out that both sides had talked about various problems of mutual concern, such as triad activities, dangerous drugs, smuggling, commercial crimes, lost vehicles and illegal immigration at the working-level meeting.

Mr Hui said: "We feel there is a need to extend the scope of co-operation to training and communication in addition to investigations of crime cases so as to enhance mutual understanding.

Hong Kong Police will also organise a seminar on triad activities next year for officials from both places to take part. Furthermore, representatives of the Force will attend the third bilateral meeting to be held in Beijing in April or May next year.

Zhu Entao said before the transfer of sovereignty, Hong Kong Police and their mainland counterparts, through Interpol, had successfully conducted 25 working meetings. Describing such meetings as fruitful, Mr Zhu said they had contributed much to Hong Kong's smooth transition and return to China.

He said: "Under the Policy of 'one country, two systems' and in the spirit of non-subordination, mutual support and assistance, both sides have further stepped up co-operation. A memorandum of understanding was signed in Beijing in May this year, designating the scope of co-operation, work and channels."г

As to the second bilateral meeting just concluded, Mr Zhu said it had produced good and useful results: "So far this year, mainland police have handed over to Hong Kong 17 suspects of various crimes and 17 lost vehicles. Our co-operation in investigations, combating organised and commercial crimes, and dangerous drugs has been good.

"A particularly successful example is the case of Cheung Tze-keung and his gang. The Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court upheld the death sentence on Cheung who has been executed.

"We have also discussed the arena of our future co-operation, organising seminars and activities in coastal provinces such as Guangdong, and in Beijing in a bid to effectively crack down on crimes.

"We will step up our co-operation in border management, traffic safety, technological facilities and training, and establish a 24-hour hotline to fight crime."

The four-day bilateral meeting started on December 2 and the mainland representatives also met the Secretary for Security and the Director of Immigration during their stay in Hong Kong.

Mr Hui led a HKP delegation to Beijing in May this year to attend the first bilateral meeting, during which time it was agreed that such meetings would be held twice a year in Beijing and the other in Hong Kong.

67th Interpol General Assembly in Cairo

D C&S, CP, Mr Zhu and his officers at the 50th Jubilee of the Commissioners Conference in Israel DURING the last week of October, CP Hui Ki-on, along with D C&S Lau Yuk-kuen and SSP Liaison Bureau Hung Hak-wai participated in the 67th Interpol General Assembly Session of ICPO-Interpol in Cairo as delegates of the sub-bureau of NCB (National Central Bureau) China.
The China delegation was once again led by Vice Minister of Public Security and Head of Interpol China, Zhu Entao. Other members in the delegation included Deputy Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security Zhang Weihang, and Interpol China advisor Cui Yanzhi.

The deliberations between representatives from more than 100 countries centred on issues such as international crimes and terrorism, arms and drug smuggling, money laundering and computer crime. Items of particular interest raised by Interpol National Central Bureau China during the assembly included traffic in stolen works of art, drug trafficking and currency counterfeiting.
With regard to traffic in stolen works of art, the Chinese delegate said that its Government attached particular importance to preserving its cultural heritage, and that trafficking of national relics was on the increase in certain regions. To combat this phenomenon required strong international co-operation. China signed the convention prohibiting the illegal transfer of intellectual property and also signed the convention on the restoration of stolen items. The first positive effects of ratifying those conventions was beginning to be felt with the country recovering some works of art which had been illegally exported Ёа a great source of satisfaction for China. It was hoped that the fight would be stepped up.
On the subject of currency counterfeiting, the Chinese delegation stressed the fact that currency counterfeiting was nothing short of sabotaging national economies and that it destabilised the world economy. It was therefore a particularly serious crime which all the member countries had to combat.
The Chinese delegation emphasised that "at the dawn of a new century which will be dominated by communications technology, criminals had to be made aware that they were up against an international force truly capable of organising intergovernmental police co-operation".
Prior to the Interpol Meeting in Egypt, the China Delegation participated in the 50th Jubilee of the Commissioners Conference held in Israel.
CP, DC&S, and SSP LB also paid a visit on Peter Hermitage, the Director of National Police Training (England and Wales) at Bramshill Police Staff College in the UK, as well as visiting John Abbott, Director of National Criminal Intelligence Service, David O'Dowel, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, and Sir Paul Condon, Commissioner of Metropolitan Police.