Premier Jiang Yi-huah and other officials discussed a wide variety of issues at today's public security meeting, including fire and crime fighting, the integrity of domestic professional baseball, drunk driving and youth crime.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) described the most recent public security trends and analyses as well as police efforts and strategies to prevent juvenile crime, while the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) gave a report about reviewing and strengthening juvenile crime prevention.
Jiang told the National Fire Agency to pick up the pace in mapping out measures to ameliorate the difficulty of fighting fires in narrow alleyways and urged local governments to coordinate to improve the situation.
The premier also instructed the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission to complete follow-up work on issues raised at these meetings within three months at the latest, provided they are within the Executive Yuan's jurisdiction and do not require legislative amendments.
The MOI reported that the crime rate fell this January and February while the crime resolution rate rose, and local governments held regular public security meetings. There were 54,279 crimes reported during this period, a year-on-year decrease of 3.21 percent or 1,802 cases. At the same time, the number of cleared cases totaled 52,127, a year-on-year increase of 3.63 percent or 1,828 cases. Factoring in the decreased number of crimes, the overall clearance rate rose 6.35 percentage points over the previous year to 96.04 percent.
The premier affirmed these developments but requested law enforcement units not to let down their guard, particularly because two widely reported murder cases in early March and a serial killing on March 24 have been deeply unsettling to the public. Suspects are already being investigated in the earlier two cases, and the premier asked the MOJ and National Police Agency (NPA) to continue guiding the investigation teams to make breakthroughs. The killer in the March 24 case was immediately apprehended, which substantially reassured the public, Jiang said.
Jiang told authorities not to be satisfied with their improved statistics. To satisfy the public and set citizens' minds at ease, law enforcement should continue preventing crimes from occurring and use modern scientific methods to swiftly resolve serious cases, he said.
Turning the subject to sports justice, Jiang noted that the national team's excellent performance in the 2013 World Baseball Classic has rekindled citizens' interest in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, whose support had fallen sharply after a string of game-fixing scandals several years ago. The premier found it comforting that over 10,000 people attended each of the first three games of the season and that the media covered every game. He also expressed hope that law enforcement authorities and the teams will effectively prevent fraud and gambling on future games.
"Taiwanese baseball cannot disappoint its fans with another wave of thrown games," the premier emphasized. He directed the MOI and MOJ to work together to ensure the baseball world fully complies with the law.
Amendments to the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road Traffic Regulations which became effective March 1, 2013 raised the fine for drunk driving to NT$90,000 (US$3,000). Police crackdowns and prosecutorial cases for this violation have fallen significantly since. The premier directed related agencies to continue examining this phenomenon to determine whether it occurred because the higher penalty is an effective deterrent to drunk driving. This knowledge would serve as a guide for future legal revision and prevention, he said.
Juvenile crime has risen in recent years, as noted in last year's public security meetings, Premier Jiang stated after hearing the MOI's report on the subject. The premier directed the MOI, MOJ, Ministry of Education (MOE) and other related agencies to strengthen various preventive measures in response.
Between 2007 and 2012, police agencies arrested a greater number of juveniles for five types of offenses: violence, drugs, endangerment of public safety, fraud and organized crime. Premier Jiang noted that increases in certain crimes, such as violence, may have been registered because an anti-bullying campaign beginning in 2010 encouraged more victims to report to the authorities. The premier directed the NPA and the MOE to examine the underlying causes of these crimes and identify the areas and policies that need the most work.
Juvenile crime stems from multiple causes and can be induced by oneself, one's family, one's school or society as a whole, Jiang said. He believes the central and local governments must develop preventive measures together and hopes the cross-ministerial mechanism for this purpose established this January by the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the MOE's Department of Student Affairs and Special Education will help abate crime. He asked the two ministerial heads to examine the mechanism's subsequent work in a timely fashion.
The MOJ's report on juvenile crime noted a gradual increase in the number of delinquents between 2009 and 2012. Premier Jiang said the climb might reflect a change in the crime reporting mechanism, but it could also purely mean juvenile delinquency in Taiwan has worsened. Regardless, related agencies should give greater attention to this problem, he concluded.
The MOJ and other government agencies intend to review measures to strengthen the supervisory functions of local Juvenile Guidance Committees (JGC) and to prevent major juvenile crimes such as sexual offenses, drug abuse, school bullying and gang activities. Jiang ordered related agencies to assist with the completion of these revisions.
"When I was the Minister of the Interior, I paid close attention to the problem of rising juvenile delinquency," the premier said. "I knew that though their resources are limited, JGCs are very important." He asked Minister without Portfolio Luo Ying-shay to convene a cross-ministerial meeting to consider how to make JGCs more effective without adding a new competent authority to the mix.