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SCMP Reporter

POLICE have called on legislators to consider bringing back the death penalty to avoid a repeat of last year's spate of armed robberies.

  They also have warned legislators about enacting human rights legislation which could hinder their work.

  The chairman of the Local Inspectors' Association, Mr Robert Chau Chuen-kung, said tougher penalties were essential and legislators should consider capital punishment.

  This would deter armed robbers, particularly those from China.

  ''They might be thinking they can get away with a fortune with a bit of luck, and at worst they would get life imprisonment. Mainland law-breakers might think it was less of a chance to take an AK-47 to Nathan Road than face capital punishment for a crime at home,'' he said. ''We need to give them cause to fear.''   He said capital punishment in China was a deterrent, but mainland criminals who committed a crime here and were extradited back to Hongkong knew they faced life imprisonment at most.

  Mr Chau questioned whether 10 years or even life in prison would deter mainland criminals.

  The Expatriate Inspectors' Association chairman, Chief Inspector David Scott, supported the call for legislative changes.

  ''Tougher penalties were introduced recently for people taking cars and most ended up in China but the average man in the street would be more concerned with armed robberies in the street. The lawmakers should realise this and play their part,'' he said.

  He said legislators also should remember the crime problem when considering human rights legislation.

  Proposals of fast trials and restrictions on detention of criminals could affect the ability of police to do their job.

  Tougher penalties for offenders would be in line with the Chinese system and could deter a repeat of last year's spate of armed robberies, Mr Scott said.

  Both Mr Scott and Mr Chau said they did not expect recent armed robberies to affect police drop-out or recruitment rates.

  Governor Mr Chris Patten's October address said draft amendments outlawing capital punishment would be introduced during this Legislative Council session.

  Legislative Councillors voted 24-12 in favour of abolishing the death penalty in June 1991.

  Meanwhile, Mr Patten condemned the ruthlessness of the gunmen in yesterday's incident.

  ''The Commissioner of Police and the whole police force are determined to fight crime as vigorously as we possibly can,'' he stressed.

  ''They have the whole-hearted support of the executive in that we are putting more police on the streets, not least in order to try to prevent the sort of crime that we saw today.''   The Co-operative Resources Centre's security spokeswoman, Ms Miriam Lau Kin-yee, urged the police to step up patrols at high-risk premises, particularly during the run-up to the Lunar New Year.

  The Hongkong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood last night called for better communication between Hongkong and mainland security authorities to stop the flow of guns into the territory.

  The association also called for heavier penalities to deter armed robbery.



Officers in death penalty demand