LEGISLATORS are criticising the Security Branch and Royal Hong Kong Police Force for delays in supplying both Chinese and English-language charge forms in all stations as soon as possible. At the Legco Security Panel meeting yesterday, the police said the force would install a communal computer information system in all stations and regional headquarters to provide bilingual forms. However, given the complexity of the computer system, the police said implementation would not be expected until 1996. The police said it would consider introducing interim measures such as producing bilingual charge forms by personal computers before the computer system was introduced. The force started a pilot scheme to produce bilingual charge forms by personal computers in the Wong Tai Sin district on Wednesday. United Democrat legislator Cheung Man-kwong and independent legislator Simon Ip Sik-on suggested that explanatory notes in Chinese should be provided to the accused as an interim measure. However, Deputy Director of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force David Hodson said an explanatory note in Chinese would not have the same legal status as the English charge form. He added that according to advice from the Attorney-General's Chamber, the most practical solution was to produce the prosecution documents in both languages with equal status. Liberal Party legislator Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said the scheme of producing forms from personal computers should at least be extended to all stations in the territory. Principal Assistant Secretary for Security Karen Pong Leung Kwok-hing said the Government would only decide on the interim measures after looking at the outcome of the pilot scheme in six months' time. Mr Cheung accused the Government of continuing to infringe the rights of many people because they would not fully understand their charge until the forms were in Chinese. Currently charge forms are in English and the contents explained to the accused in colloquial Cantonese.
