measures undertaken based on its findings. In addition, clarification was requested of the rules and regulations governing the use of firearms by the police and security forces in Northern Ireland and of the inquest procedure in cases of killings by members of the security forces. In that regard, it was asked how many deaths had occurred as a result of the use of force by the police; in how many such cases had the victims been unarmed; whether any inquiries had been initiated: and whether disciplinary proceedings had been conducted against those found guilty. It was also inquired what steps had been taken to prevent suicide among persons detained under immigration powersr how many death sentences had been imposed in Hong Kong in the past decade: and whether the Government was considering abolishing the death penalty in the dependent territories, particularly in Hong Kong, in view of the transfer of sovereignty in 1991. 379. In his reply, th.; representative of the State party said that, when summoned to support the civil authorities , nlembers of the armed forces were present purely to assist as xxeeded and did not themselves possess police powers. Only that degree of force which was reasonable in the circumstances WGG permissible. Detailed instructions were provided on the us8 of firearms, iixdicating that they were to be used as a last resort where there was a threat to life and, where practicable, after due warning had been given. Members of the armed forces and the police could be prosecuted if they used firearms unlawfully. Ten individual incidents in which deaths had been caused by members of the security forces had occurred in Northern Ireland in 1990, cvmpared to four and six in 1989 and 1988, respectively. Each incident had been fully inveotigated and the evidence obtained had been weighed by an independent official. That procedure had resulted in the institution of crimioal proceedings against some members of the security forces. The question of suicide and self-harm in prisons was taken very seriously by the cjovernment, which w&G seeking to reduce the incidence of those phenomena to a minimum. With respect to detention under immigration powers, only a small proportion of the approximately 20,000 persons who were refused entry into the country each year were detained, Steps had been taken to prevent suicide occurring in such facilities. WheYever possib18, people were granted temporary admission instead of being detained. Coadicions in special detention facilitfGs were kept as congenial as possible and such facilities were thoroughly inspected. A board of visitors had been established to hear corr.2iaints. 300. The Government had become concerned about the discrepancy between its practice and that of the dependent territories in the Caribbean with respect to the death penalty. Although public opinion in the Caribbean Territories ten&d to favour retention of ths death penalty, it had been announced on 26 March 1991 that an Order in Council would be moved to substitute life imprisomnent for the death penalty :& murder caG8G in the Cayman Islands, the British virgin Islaxxds, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrut and Anguilla. The last death sentence in Hong Kong had been carried out in November 1966, Gtd since then the death sentencee of 243 persons had been commuted to life imprisonment or specific prison sentences. However, most people in Hong Kong wished to retain the death penalty as a deterrent to serious crime. Purthermore, according to the Joint Declaration, the laws currently in force in Hong Kong would rexnain basically unchanged after 1997 and, therefore, the death penalty would not become applicable to a broacier range of crimes unless the Hong Kong Administration GO decided. -9%-