Law-enforcement agencies will step up crime-prevention measures to reduce the number of  crimes committed by Mainland visitors to Hong Kong, the Secretary for Security says.

In reply to a question from lawmaker Audrey Eu about the plans to relax restrictions on Mainland residents to allow them to visit Hong Kong, Regina Ip noted that an Inter-departmental Task Force was set up in April this year to work with Mainland authorities to prevent cross-boundary crime.

Led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Operations, the Task Force is made up of members from the Police, Immigration Department, Customs & Excise Department, Correctional Services Department, Labour Department, Lands Department, and Food & Environmental Hygiene Department.

The Task Force's mandate is:

* to propose to the Mainland authorities that more effective and stringent measures be adopted when determining applications for two-way permits and passports;

* to implement effective screening measures at immigration control points; and

* to strengthen local enforcement actions.

So far, the Task Force has taken several steps towards fulfilling its mandate. These include:

* examining the feasibility of setting up a database so that information relevant departments obtain on Mainland visitors who have been sentenced to imprisonment for having committed crimes and those who have breached their conditions of stay could be provided to the Mainland authorities, with a view to prohibiting these people from revisiting Hong Kong within a period of time;

* enhancing the exchange of intelligence between the Mainland and Hong Kong, targeting syndicates which arrange Mainlanders to come to Hong Kong to commit crimes such as prostitution and deception;

* having the Immigration Department strengthen screening of Mainland visitors entering Hong Kong at the immigration control points and refusing entry to those who have been forbidden to visit Hong Kong due to previous illegal acts; and

* having local law-enforcement agencies identify blackspots for crimes Mainland visitors commit, strengthening enforcement actions and increasing the number of joint operations to combat these illegal activities.

If Mainlanders entering Hong Kong with travel documents have committed crimes in Hong Kong and are at large, and the Police know their identities, the Police will include them in the wanted list and seek the Immigration Department's assistance to prevent them from leaving Hong Kong.

Where necessary, the Police will also ask the relevant Mainland authorities to locate the offenders, Mrs Ip said.