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The T.V. shows revealed that Hong Kong had the same problem as we had in Shanghai by street hawkers etc. We kept these out of main city streets. As i recall we licenced the lot and any found by "police hawker squads" without a licence were taken to stations where after buying a ligence were released. We found leaders of "Street Hawkers Associations" helpful in keeping good order. Some of these had lawyers to represent them and gave us help. Bribing of police was never a worry. The hawkers were never allowed to move into streets where hawkers were barred. The leaders of the hawkers could be expected to chase away any newcomers from a district.
I should mention that the re-organisation led to regular transfers of senior officers, to include detectives to other districts, after two years.
This was done to build up experience and avoid officers getting too well bedded down and being tempted to grant favours etc, It appears to me that Godber and others were supported to move into positions where they could be paid money, as the receivers, and the bulk of the pay-ments went into other pockets at higher levels? Regular transfers would have helped to put down the traffic by exposing it. But have said all along that corrupt practices cannot take place when senior inspecting - officers do their jobs efficiently. This explains why in the Shanghai re-organisation, the Commissioner and some others at higher level lost their appointments. Some others due for retirement were given the opportunity to leave. There was a comb out at headquarters to provide for some of the top ranking officers to move out into divisional offices where they were in a position to make far closer checks of what was going on at station districts. In other words,more senior officers were put into positions where they had to accept responsibility of knowing what was going on.
As a Senior Detective, who took charge in most all crime branches, I can say that at no time was i ever worried about corrupt practices. My supervision and inspections covered night and day shifts. Senior Detectives understood that one case of corruption by way of bribery escaping attention could certainly lead to loss of their appointment and a transfer back to uniform duties. All detectives, regardless of rank, were re-assessed every three years to determine if their efficiency and general results of work justified them being retained to work in the crime branch of the force. This helped to provide openings for other officers to be taken on for the work from the uniform branch.
It was these kind of exercises that kept men on their toes.
I mentioned in one of my letters that sometimes i acted without search warrants,to out an end to a newly opened vice den etc. I did not make a habit of this. In some sidden emergency I would do it and take the risk. As long as I caught the offenders in flagrante delicto was safe enough, as Judges etc in Shanghai were my friends, also leadeng members of the Shanghai bar Association. There were times when owners of buildings and landlords would let me know something unusual was going on and I was free to enter their premises anytime. Our Commissioner expected a Senior Detective in Charge of a Crime Branch to exercise his initiative and take action at once. As you will appreciate it is not possible to get search warrants at short notice at night and when courts are not sitting and closed over weekends.