Macao to ensure security in logistic, personnel

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Macao to ensure security in logistic, personnel

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Macao's security authorities will focus on coping with large passenger and logistics flows boosted by facilitated tourism and trade between the Macao Special Administrative Region and the mainland in the year 2004, said Macao's security chief on Monday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Cheong Kuok Va, Macao's secretary for security said that over the past four years, Macao has successfully harnessed syndicated gangsters' activities, whichhad posed a serious social security problem before Macao's return to the motherland in 1999.

Macao's current social security status is stable and sound, said Cheong.

Macao's economic integration with the mainland and frequent personnel exchanges between the two sides have brought new challenges, he said. Macao's police force needs an urgent recruitment of some 200 policemen to aid street patrolling, surveillance of casinos and customs examinations to cope with the situation.

"Time doesn't wait," said the security chief citing that the Mainland/Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement will go into force on January 1, 2004, and the mainland's facilitated individual travel policies will allow more travelers to visit Hong Kong and Macao next year. Both of the elements are widely expected to stimulate the economic growth in Macao, and bring new problems to social security as well.

"The SAR government has approved sufficient funding supports toupgrade police outfits to encounter the anticipated changes, but training of qualified police takes time," he said.

The police force in Macao has undergone a consecutive restructuring to transform from a "Portuguese military style ruling" to a well-disciplined force with the spirit of serving thepeople and economic development in Macao over the past four years,which has been well affirmed by the people in Macao, said Cheong.

"Macao is a safe city in the Asian region. From the year 2001 till now, there have been neither severe criminal cases involving syndicated gangsters, nor serious drug trafficking cases in the city," said Cheong.

The stability in social security has been considered the most noticeable achievement made by the Macao SAR government, which wasset up upon Macao's hand-over in 1999.

A local resident, surnamed Leong, said that before 1999, he dared not go out when it was dark as street robberies or even killings committed by gang members happened frequently. While, nowa night walk on the waterfront boulevard is his most enjoyable moment everyday.

Cheong said that Macao's police force has received training supports both from China's mainland and Portugal.

"We have sent four groups of police officers to take training courses in the Chinese People's University of Public Security in Beijing, while the training of special police forces and sleuthhounds are supervised by drill masters from Portugal," said Cheong, who is confident of building an efficient and well-disciplined police force.

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