$8.3 million compensation awarded to crime victims

The Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation (CLEIC) Boards paid out $8.3 million to victims suffering from criminal or law enforcement injuries or their dependents for the year 2003-2004, according to the boards' latest annual report.

A Social Welfare Department spokesman said today (September 19) that the payments were made in 387 new and 228 review cases. The largest single payment was more than $146,000 awarded to the victim of a wounding case.

On the other hand, the boards received 637 new applications for criminal injuries compensation during the year, compared with 759 in the preceding year.

Among them, 492 were related to assault or wounding; 100 to robbery, theft or burglary; 23 to homicide, murder or manslaughter; nine to arson; seven to injuries caused by falling objects and four to rape or sexual assault.

Regarding the source of applications, 416 were referred by the Police, 119 lodged as a result of the outreaching service by the CLEIC Secretariat, and 98 directly submitted by the victims or their families, the spokesman said.

Non-contributory and non-means tested, the CLEIC is designed to provide ex-gratia payments to persons (or to 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 (which means any police officer or other public officer on duty) using a weapon in the execution of his duty.

End

Sunday, September 19, 2004