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PART IV
THE MEASURES TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE DISTURBANCES
69
255. Consequently, and because some 90% of the persons arrested and charged for offences connected with the riots were charged with breach of cur- few, we examined at some length the circumstances surrounding the imposition of curfew on the nights of April 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th; and the manner in which it was promulgated.
256. Those responsible for requesting, advising or deciding on the curfew must, of course, consider the disruption to ordinary life, loss of business and hardship that can flow from an arbitrary all-embracing order of this kind; factors that have to be balanced carefully against the extent of the danger which has prompted the request. In deciding on the hour from which the curfew should be effective, account must also be taken of the desirability of affording to the public as much notice as possible to enable them to leave the streets. The familiarity of the people with a curfew can be an important factor in this connection. If they are more or less expecting the curfew and know precisely what it involves, they are likely to be able to comply with it far more readily than if it is unfamiliar and unexpected.
April 6/7th
257. Hong Kong had not known a curfew for many years; the police and others had to allow for this unfamiliarity. Very soon after the outbreak of violence, however, consideration was given, as the Commissioner of Police told us in his evidence, to the imposition of a curfew. The senior police commanders concerned advised that a curfew was desirable in view of the deteriorating situa- tion but, in deciding on the time when it should come into force, consideration also had to be given to the interval required to obtain the necessary order, to the period of warning which the public would require, as well as to the question of how soon the police, already so fully committed in dealing with the riotous crowds, would be able to enforce it. The decision to impose a curfew, its dura- tion and its timing are the sole responsibility of the Governor, taken, of course, after considering the advice of the officers primarily concerned. The police advice was accordingly transmitted through the Emergency Control Centre to the Governor, who decided to make a curfew order requiring all persons in Kow- loon and New Kowloon to remain within doors from 1.30 a.m. until 6 a.m. and signed Curfew Order No. 1 at 1.07 a.m.
258. The first radio announcement of the impending curfew was made at 1.05 a.m. on the joint service which had been set up by the Colony's three broad- casting stations. The announcement included a warning that anybody who was on the streets in Kowloon or New Kowloon after 1.30 a.m. without a permit was liable to arrest and prosecution. This was broadcast five times between 1.05 a.m. and 1.25 a.m. on both English and Chinese channels. After the curfew came into force, further announcements were made on both channels throughout the night until 5.40 a.m. In all, announcements were broadcast 29 times between