NCJ Number
138497
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1992) Pages: 310-328
Date Published
1992
Length
19 pages
Annotation
In a narrative of recent Hong Kong and China crime problems, this paper attempts to illustrate the proposition that the social problems of smuggling, illegal immigration, and armed robbery have occurred due to social and economic developments in China and the vast difference between the economic situations of China and Hong Kong.
Abstract
The responses of both the Hong Kong and the Chinese authorities to cases of smuggling and illegal immigration have been only tactical successes at best. Despite strenuous efforts on the part of the police, the level of armed robberies in Hong Kong has not declined. Reasons for this general ineffectiveness include the scale of the problems and the fact that the crimes stem from major social and economic problems in China and inequities between China and Hong Kong. Legislative and regulatory action to create new offense categories and heavier penalties as well as increased law enforcement can have only a limited effect in view of major social and economic developments in China. China's law enforcement practices created since 1949 have been overrun by the country's economic development and mass rural-urban migration. The consequence has been a massive increase in crime. 44 footnotes, 2 tables, and 22 references