A public inquiry , also known as a tribunal of inquiry , government inquiry , or simply inquiry , is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such an inquiry differs from a royal commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more public forum and focuses on a more specific occurrence. Interested members of the public and organisations may make (written) evidential submissions, as is the case with most inquiries, and also listen to oral evidence given by other parties.
35-702: Typical events for a public inquiry are those that cause multiple deaths, such as public transport crashes or mass murders . In addition, in the UK, the Planning Inspectorate , an agency of the Department for Communities and Local Government , routinely holds public inquiries into a range of major and lesser land use developments, including highways and other transport proposals. Advocacy groups and opposition political parties are likely to ask for public inquiries for all manner of issues. The government of
70-489: A Hongkong Electric Company -owned vessel, Lamma IV (南丫四號), with 121 passengers and 3 crew members on board. The passenger ferry was travelling from Central to Yung Shue Wan , while the Hongkong Electric Company vessel was travelling from Lamma Island to Central. Passengers on Lamma IV were on a one-day tour organised by the company, and were headed to Central for the fireworks display commemorating
105-483: A mass shooting or a mass stabbing . Mass murderers differ from spree killers , who kill at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders and are not defined by the number of victims, and serial killers , who kill people over long periods of time. Many terrorist groups in recent times have used the tactic of killing many victims to fulfill their political aims. Such incidents have included: Certain cults , especially religious cults, have committed
140-490: A crime involving an assault rifle ; as a case of a mentally ill person committing acts of violence ; and so on." How such rarely occurring incidents of homicide are classified tends to change significantly with time. "In the 1960s and 1970s,... it was understood that the key feature of [a number of such] cases was a high body count. These early discussions of mass murder lumped together [a variety of] cases that varied along what would come to be seen as important dimensions: In
175-539: A formal finding that the project will produce public benefit. This procedure was established by the law on expropriation enacted on 7 July 1833, which extended an earlier law enacted in 1810. A number of historically important public inquiries have taken place in South Africa since the advent of full democracy in 1994. A number of which have looked into national scale events such as systematic human rights abuses during apartheid or wide scale corruption . In
210-434: A government, and tend to lose credibility when they find no fault on the part of the government. In France, any major project which requires the compulsory acquisition of private property must, before being approved, be the subject of a public inquiry (usually by the prefect of the region or department in which the project will take place); the favourable outcome of such an inquiry is a déclaration d'utilité publique ,
245-452: A number of mass killings and mass murder–suicides . Mass murderers may be categorized into killers of family, of coworkers, of students, and of random strangers. Their motives vary. One motivation for mass murder is revenge , but other motivations are possible, including the need for attention or fame. Acting on the orders of Joseph Stalin , Vasili Blokhin 's war crime of killing of 7,000 Polish prisoners of war , shot over 28 days,
280-479: A result, the number of people missing remained unknown. An air-and-sea rescue effort was initiated. The Fire Services Department deployed 10 launches, including a diving support vessel and mobilised 350 officers, including fire and ambulance personnel and more than 60 ambulances (including ambulances from St John Ambulance and Auxiliary Medical Service ). The injured were taken to five hospitals around Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government had requested help from
315-423: Is recommended that victims and bystanders involved in the incident take active steps to flee, hide, or fight the shooter and that law enforcement officers present or first arriving at the scene attempt immediately to engage the shooter. In many instances, immediate action by victims, bystanders, or law enforcement officers has saved lives. However, law enforcement programs and actions have so far been unable to reduce
350-473: Is the violent crime of killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more persons kill several others. In the United States , Congress defined mass murders as the killing of three or more persons during an event with no "cooling-off period" between
385-531: The Central Government Offices at 12:00. Schools and other public offices also observed a moment of silence. Condolence points were set up in each of the 18 districts during the mourning period. The government cancelled the 2013 National Day Fireworks as a result of the incident. On 2 October, British Prime Minister David Cameron sent Chief Executive Leung his condolences. Catherine Ashton , High Representative for Foreign Affairs of
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#1732775940038420-579: The Commissioner of Police , stated that seven crew members of the vessels were arrested the day after the accident, for "endangering people's lives at sea". A commission of inquiry was formed to investigate the cause of the accident. The Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012, with Justice Michael Lunn as Chairman and Benjamin Tang as Commissioner,
455-541: The European Union , also expressed her sadness and sent her condolences through a spokesman. The decision by the captain of Sea Smooth to leave the scene sparked a heated debate, namely whether saving oneself, or risking oneself for the others has a high priority. At first, reports stated that the captain continued on to the pier out of passenger request and out of fear that Sea Smooth herself might sink, but later reports also claimed that some passengers urged
490-623: The National Day of the PRC following a tour of the Lamma Power Station . Participants of the tour mostly joined as families, and as a result there were a number of children among the passengers. At approximately 20:23, the bow of Sea Smooth collided with the stern of Lamma IV on her port side, rupturing two of the latter ship's watertight compartments which quickly flooded. Lamma IV soon capsized with her aft sinking into
525-573: The Commissions of Inquiry Ordinance was enacted for establishing such a commission. The commission established after the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision produced a report of its findings which they made public; an internal report was kept confidential. In the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests , one of the five key demands of the protesters, was establishing another commission for the protests itself. Mass murders Note: Varies by jurisdiction Note: Varies by jurisdiction Mass murder
560-615: The United Kingdom, the term public inquiry, also known as a tribunal of inquiry, refers to either statutory or non-statutory inquiries that have been established either previously by the monarch or by government ministers of the United Kingdom , Scottish , Northern Irish and Welsh governments to investigate either specific, controversial events or policy proposals. Non-statutory public inquiries are often used in order to investigate controversial events of national concern,
595-552: The accident, all from Lamma IV , 30 of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, while eight others were pronounced dead upon arrival at hospitals. one passenger would die in hospital on 5 October. 92 people on both vessels were injured, four of whom sustained severe injuries. While the Hongkong Electric company claimed 124 people were on Lamma IV , police suspected that there might have been more on board as company employees were allowed to invite their own friends. As
630-873: The advantage being that they are more flexible than the statutory inquiry as they do not need to follow the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005 , The Inquiry Rules 2006 (UK, excluding Scotland) and The Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. Statutory inquiries can be held as subject-specific public inquiries, however most are now held under the Inquiries Act 2005 which repealed the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921 . Statutory public inquiries, unlike non-statutory inquiries, have legal powers to compel witnesses. This list excludes Public Local Inquiries (which encompasses Planning Inquiries, Compulsory Purchase Order Inquiries, Listed Building Inquiries etc.) In Hong Kong,
665-401: The captain to stop. In the few days following the accident, the captain had remained emotionally unstable even after being discharged from the hospital. After he was informed of the accident, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying immediately set out to the scene to oversee the rescue efforts. Some media suggested it was a "political show", and said that his presence might have actually slowed down
700-624: The city the next morning. It was announced that the Li Ka Shing Foundation would set aside a total of HK$ 30 million for victims and their families that would be in addition to the emergency relief already offered by HKE to the families of the deceased. Three days of mourning were declared by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying , starting on 4 October, during which the flag of Hong Kong was flown at half-mast on all government buildings. On 4 October, Leung, along with other government officials, observed three minutes of silence outside
735-446: The day typically only accedes to a fraction of these requests. The political decision whether to appoint a public inquiry into an event was found to be dependent on several factors. The first is the extent of media coverage of the event; those that receive more media interest are more likely to be inquired. Second, since the appointment of a public inquiry is typically made by government ministers, events that involve allegations of blame on
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#1732775940038770-421: The first SWAT team even entered the school. Average response time by law enforcement to a mass shooting is typically much longer than the time the shooter is engaged in killing. While immediate action may be extremely dangerous, it could save lives which would be lost if victims and bystanders involved in the situation remain passive, or law enforcement response is delayed until overwhelming force can be deployed. It
805-642: The homicides. The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012, passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , clarified the statutory authority for federal law enforcement agencies, including those in the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security , to assist state law enforcement agencies, and mandated across federal agencies a definition of "mass killing" as three or more killings during an incident. A mass murder may be further classified as
840-461: The late decades of the 20th century and early years of the 2000s, the most popular classifications moved to include method, time and place. While such classifications may assist in gaining human meaning, as human-selected categories, they can also carry significant meaning and reflect a particular point of view of the commentator who assigned the descriptor. 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision On 1 October 2012, at approximately 20:23 HKT ,
875-442: The nearby Guangdong province to aid in search-and-rescue, but external resources were not deployed at all as domestic resources were seen as adequate by the rescue forces. Initial speculations on the cause of the accident included speeding and overloading. However, witnesses on Lamma IV claimed that the ship was cruising at a steady speed. Overloading was also ruled out as the vessel had a capacity of 200 passengers. Andy Tsang ,
910-487: The part of the relevant minister are less likely to be investigated by a public inquiry. Third, a public inquiry generally takes longer to report and costs more on account of its public nature. When a government refuses a public inquiry on some topic, it is usually on at least one of these grounds. The conclusions of the inquiry are delivered in the form of a written report, given first to the government, and soon after made public. Reports usually make recommendations to improve
945-636: The passenger ferries Sea Smooth and Lamma IV collided off Yung Shue Wan , Lamma Island , Hong Kong. This occurred on the National Day of the People's Republic of China , and one of the ships was headed for the commemorative firework display, scheduled to take place half an hour later. With 39 killed and 92 injured, the incident was the deadliest maritime disaster in Hong Kong since 1971. On 14 February 2015, Sea Smooth ′s captain Lai Sai-ming
980-441: The quality of government or management of public organisations in the future. A 2016 study found that the reports of public inquiries are not effective in changing public opinion regarding the event in question. Empirical studies do not find support for the claim that appointing a public inquiry leads to a decline in media attention to the inquired issue. Public inquiry reports appear to enjoy public trust only when they are critical of
1015-631: The rescue. Leung was also criticised for his decision to ask for help from Mainland China through the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government , despite the abundance of manpower and resources already in Hong Kong. Many saw this as increased influence and reliance on the Central government , a change from the previous Tsang administration. Also, despite Leung's clarification that no ship from Mainland China had been deployed in
1050-447: The sea. The vessel reportedly went down so quickly that more than 100 passengers were thrown into the water unprotected despite an abundance of life vests on board. Sea Smooth' left the scene after the accident and continued on to Yung Shue Wan pier. The front of Sea Smooth was damaged and its captain was also sent to the local hospital after the accident, along with several passengers, for injuries. A total of 39 people were killed in
1085-423: The total number of incidents. In 2020, a record number of 600 mass shootings occurred. Commentators have pointed out that there are a wide variety of ways that homicides with more than several victims might be classified. Such incidents can be, and have been even in recent decades, classified many different ways including "as a mass shooting ; as a school shooting ; as mass murder ; as workplace violence ...; as
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1120-598: The year in the annual Crime in Hong Kong reports. On 2 October, the flags of Cheung Kong Group companies were all flown at half-mast at the Cheung Kong Center , headquarters of Hongkong Electric's parent company. Hongkong Electric confirmed that seven of those who died were staff of the Company. HK Electric announced that families of each of the deceased would receive a HK$ 200,000 emergency relief. Li Ka Shing, who controls HK Electric, immediately returned to
1155-583: Was appointed by the Chief Executive in Council to inquire into the facts and circumstances leading to and surrounding the collision. The Commission of Inquiry submitted its report to the Chief Executive on 19 April 2013. The full report is available on the website of the Commission. The Hong Kong Police crime statistics for 2013 included the 39 killed as part of the city's overall murder rate for
1190-558: Was convicted of 39 counts of manslaughter over the deaths, while Lamma IV ′s captain Chow Chi-wai was acquitted of the same charges by the High Court. Both men were found guilty of endangering the safety of others at sea. On 16 February, Lai and Chow were sentenced to eight years' and nine months' imprisonment respectively. The accident involved a Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry -operated passenger ferry, Sea Smooth (海泰號), and
1225-595: Was one of the most organized and protracted mass murders by a single individual on record. Analysis of the Columbine High School massacre and other incidents where law enforcement officers waited for backup has resulted in changed recommendations regarding what victims, bystanders, and law enforcement officers should do. In the Columbine shooting, the perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold , were able to murder 13 people, then commit suicide before
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