At a celebration marking the Day of Judicial Police of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Cheong Kuok Va, secretary for security of the SAR government, said, "The police should further promote the spirit of willingly bearing the burden of office and serving local residents."

Cheong called for upgraded service quality and streamlined procedures for filing criminal cases in local police offices.

"Every policeman should learn more knowledge and new technology to meet with new challenges in fighting against criminals in the current era," he said.

The liberalization of the gambling industry, which means more casinos being built in Macao, requires that public security departments work even harder, he noted.

Public order has improved greatly in Macao since it returned to the motherland at the end of 1999, thanks to police efforts and close ties between police and residents.

And the leadership of judicial police has conducted a series of reforms aiming to help raise the efficiency of criminal investigation, Cheong said.

Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah attended the celebration and awarded prizes to part of the outstanding individuals and judicial police groups.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2002)