Premier Jiang Yi-huah today presided over the Executive Yuan meeting on public safety, where the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) reported on public security trends and prevention of repeat sex offenses, while the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) described their efforts to crack down on smuggling operations.
Regarding public security, Premier Jiang said this year's statistics so far has indicated a drop in crimes and rise in clearance rates, with several major and high-profile cases being cracked quickly. He thanked agencies for keeping the public safe over the past year and commended city/county government heads for personally convening monthly meetings as instructed by President Ma Ying-jeou.
As for New Year's Eve activities and the week-long Lunar New Year holidays, Jiang told the National Police Agency (NPA) to see to it that police agencies establish and follow plans for crowd safety and traffic control.
With the mileage-based freeway toll collection system to be launched December 30, the premier instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to strengthen publicity on the new system. When the time comes, drivers will have to change their road-use habits, traffic on connecting roads will be affected, and the New Year holidays will bring a rigorous trial for the system. He also asked the NPA to step up law enforcement to maintain traffic order and safety.
Regarding the case of Taiwanese citizen Chang An-wei, kidnapped for ransom by Philippine gunmen while vacationing in Malaysia, Jiang credited Chang's rescue and safe return last week to the cross-border efforts and cooperation of diplomatic and police agencies. He took the occasion to express gratitude to all government personnel involved in the operation.
Also at the meeting, the CGA detailed the results of its anti-smuggling operations over the past five years, during which the agency seized considerable amounts of contraband guns, narcotics, tobacco as well as agricultural, fishing and farming products. The premier thanked the CGA for proposing concrete improvement measures and instructed the agency to continue protecting the borders through cooperation with the Executive Yuan anti-smuggling liaison office, the Customs Administration (CA), the National Treasury Administration and the Fisheries Agency.
According to the Ministry of Justice, of the 2,622 kilograms of illicit narcotics confiscated by authorities last year, 86 percent were smuggled in across the border, which means the majority of drugs circulating in Taiwan originated from abroad. Every nation regards drugs as a public hazard that threatens the lives and health of its citizens, Jiang said. He hopes public safety agencies will continue partnering with foreign law enforcement agencies to keep drugs out of Taiwan.
As the year draws to a close, many criminal groups are taking advantage of the holiday rush to smuggle food products into Taiwan. According to the CGA, large amounts of black fungus and other mushrooms from mainland China have already been seized. To keep food products safe for citizens, the CGA and the CA should make sure that their subordinate agencies step up operations to prevent illegal meat and vegetable products from flowing into Taiwan, Jiang instructed.
In the report on sex crimes and prevention of sex offender recidivism, the MOI said sexual assaults—which had been on the rise since 2006—began showing an encouraging downward trend this year. The MOI also detailed four strategies for the prevention of repeat sexual offenses, which Jiang said should be vigorously implemented in order to lower the incidence of these crimes.
Currently, authorities must keep track of 3,552 registered sex offenders and check in on them regularly for a period of 5 to 7 years. This is an ongoing task that demands continual vigilance, the premier said. The NPA should ensure that police units at all levels of government carry out these duties to the full. Health, correctional, education and police agencies were also ordered to work closer with local authorities to rehabilitate and monitor sex offenders at every step, from prison back to society, so as to prevent repeat crimes.