The Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Boards paid out $6.5 million to victims suffering from criminal or law-enforcement injuries in the last year. The largest single payment was $96,264 paid to a murder case victim's family.

These payments were to 292 new and 217 review cases. The boards received 442 new applications during the year, six more than the preceding year.

Among them, 355 were related to assault or wounding; 58 to robbery, theft or burglary; 18 to homicide, murder or manslaughter; three cases for rape or sexual assault; one case for arson and another for injuries caused by falling objects.

The Police referred 214 applications; there were 136 direct applications; 88 were lodged as a result of the Secretariat's outreach service to the boards. The Social Welfare Department and the Legal Aid Department had each referred one case.

Non-contributory and non-means tested, the compensation is designed to provide ex-gratia payments to people - or their dependents in cases of death - who are injured, disabled or killed as a result of a crime of violence, or by a law-enforcement officer using a weapon in the execution of his duty.