THE social order situation in Hong Kong was misrepresented in the policy speech of Governor Chris Patten, United Democrat James To Kun-sun told the Legislative Council yesterday. Mr To said the Governor had misled the public by saying serious crime was on the decline this year. But instead of a falling crime rate, serious crimes were actually on the increase, he said on the second day of the council's debate on the policy speech. ''Although the figures of crime involving the use of arms dropped slightly, one must not forget that the number in 1990, 1991 and 1992 was the highest in the past decade,'' he said. According to Mr To, the number of arrests for drug trafficking had almost tripled from 136 cases in the first six months of 1992 to 356 in the same period this year. Cases related to the possession of drugs for sale had almost doubled from 660 in the first half of last year to 1,159 in the first six months of this year. Mr To, the United Democrats' spokesman on security, said: ''The Governor has told the public good news about declining crime rates and bad news about the increasing threat from crime syndicates. ''Here I must say that I cast serious doubt on what he called the good news and I am seriously worried about what he has neglected under the heading of 'bad news'.'' He said the Government should not overlook the problem of crime syndicates, because recent surveys had found more triad activities at the community level. Quoting the findings of one poll, Mr To said one in every six enterprises in the territory was paying the triad gangs protection money. A survey of Kowloon West by Mr To found that up to 60 per cent businesses were paying the gangs. ''The police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption [ICAC] both rely heavily on the co-operation of the public, so why is it that the ICAC has won the trust of the public but the police receive such different treatment?'' Mr To said Mr Patten had presented a one-sided picture of Hong Kong's law and order situation. The police should carry out a review of the way it handled reports from the public and the kind of reception members of the public received at police stations, he said. The social order of Hong Kong could not be maintained without the backing of a good legal system, he said. He was supported by Meeting Point legislator Zachary Wong Wai-yin who said the policy address had neglected a lot of serious problems such as smuggling, armed robbery, illegal immigration, the high crime rates in the new towns and money laundering. Mr Wong said there must be a strong police force to tackle such problems. But he pointed out there was a high wastage rate among experienced officers. Although recruitment has improved since last year, the Government should step up the resources to improve the protective gear of the force so as to retain experienced personnel,'' he said. He added that there should be an independent police complaints unit to deal with ''unscrupulous elements'' within the police and improve people's confidence. Mr Wong also said the Government should improve co-operation with China. It should step up the exchange of intelligence. to stop the inflow of arms and illegal immigrants.