Mr Macoun
Overseas Police Adviser
K 332
Reference
4/304-
272) A
28) B
D
E
F
LETTER TO MR ROYLE FROM MR ALAN ELLIS
1.
Mr Ellis has returned to the charge yet again raising both the question of an externally appointed judicial commission of enquiry into corruption in Hong Kong and his own individual case (his letter of 17 October to Mr Royle attached). In the second paragraph of his letter Mr Ellis refers to his meeting with you on 2 July and also the questions raised by him in his letter of 22 May. You will remember it was decided that Mr Ellis' letter of 22 May did not call for a reply and was in any case dealt with by the offer of a meeting with you. The record of your talk with Mr Ellis on 2 July is attached. It was also decided at that time not to send a further reply to
Mr Ellis (see minutes attached). Since then in response to a letter to Mr Royle from Patrick Jenkin MP we have again set out the case separating Mr Ellis' individual case from the general case of corruption in Hong Kong.
2.
I should be grateful for your advice on how we should now reply to this further letter from Mr Ellis.
3. Incidentally the Establishment Regulation No. 303 referred to in his letter concerns officers on probation. The Blair-Kerr Report recommended that grounds for not confirming an officer on to the pensionable establishment should not be confined to: "general unsuitability of temperament, personal characteristics, misconduct or the inefficient performance of his duties" but that sus- picion of corruption should also be grounds (paragraphs 194 to 195 of the Report). We commented on this recommendation (paragraph 10 of FCO telegram number 938) that if an officer is corrupt then his penseral characteristics are not such as to make him a satisfactory public officer but that if the personal present formula is considered inadequate we would prefer amendment to revocation of Establishment Regulation 303. We have heard nothing further from the Governor on this point.
sht
23 October 1973
P M Kelly (Miss)
{
P.M. Kelly
Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department
K245
Tel. Mut d632.
DD 145177 219242 500M 4/73 GM 3643/2
(3001) Dd.145244 400m 8/73 L.Ltd. Gp.839
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