The Fight Crime Committee, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for Administration, provides advice and recommends measures to prevent and reduce crime. It also coordinates crime-fighting efforts and monitors their results.

In 2004, the committee continued to monitor the overall crime situation through regular reports submitted by the Police Force. It noted that the nature of commercial crime cases continued to be diverse, with no predominant trend being observed in any particular type of fraud. Notwithstanding that the commercial crime figures remained relatively low during the year, the committee was concerned that in the interest of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, good corporate governance was critical. The committee was assured by the Administration that a Corporate Governance Action Plan was in place to identify priority areas, assign ownership and devise a timeframe for their implementation. The Administration has pledged to continue to pursue initiatives to enhance corporate governance in Hong Kong.

On the rehabilitation of offenders, the committee welcomed the new initiatives taken by the Correctional Services Department (CSD), with support from the community, to enhance the rehabilitation of prisoners and reintegrate them into the community. These included provision of full-time vocational training for suitable male prisoners; recruitment of volunteer part-time teachers to conduct language and computer classes for prisoners and assist in other areas of rehabilitation activities; and implementation of the Continuing Care Project whereby prisoners released under various supervision schemes would be referred to the Methodist Centre if found to be in need of and willing to receive counselling after completing the one-year statutory supervision period. In supporting these initiatives, the committee pointed out that more talented and experienced retirees in our community should be encouraged to serve as volunteer tutors under the vocational training programme. The committee was also informed of CSD's plan for various publicity activities in 2004-05, targeting four community groups including students, the general public, employers and the districts. The committee will continue to monitor the effectiveness of such campaigns.

Separately, the committee continued to monitor the progress of the Police Superintendents' Discretion Scheme, which enables a police officer of Superintendent or higher rank to caution, at his or her discretion, a young offender instead of initiating a criminal prosecution and, when necessary, refer the offender to the various bodies concerned for aftercare service. The committee was pleased to note that the scheme had been well accepted by the community as a proactive way to tackle problems associated with youth crime, and that it had offered an effective alternative to dealing with offending youngsters for whom education and guidance might be better than prosecution.

District Fight Crime Committees (DFCCs) continue to play an important role in the fight against crime. During the year, these committees monitored the crime situation in districts and reflected community concerns on law and order issues. They helped foster community awareness regarding crime prevention and encouraged community participation in combating crime. They continued to launch district fight crime publicity campaigns with funding support from District Councils and other sponsorship.

To reinforce the close link between the committee and DFCCs, reports and feedback on the various issues discussed were exchanged through established channels. Committee members also took turns to attend DFCC meetings and functions. In November, members from all DFCCs participated in the Fight Crime Conference organised by the committee. The conference provided a useful forum for discussion of crime issues and exchange of views on ways to combat crime.