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the Chinese rank and file at both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon District Sports Associations. The attendance at the latter two meetings topped the one hundred mark on each occasion and there was a free and informative exchange of views on the conditions of service of the rank and file.
10. Prior to my departure, I had a brief meeting with the Director of Special Branch, his Deputy and Assistant Directors.
11.
On Friday 26 November, whilst in CID Headquarters, I met Mr Peter Law, (Assistant Commissioner) Hong Kong Liaison Officer, British Embassy, Bangkok by appointment. He was on one of his regular liaison visits to Hong Kong and proposed that it would be mutually beneficial both to the Hong Kong and Thai Narcotics Bureaux and, hopefully, to the Metropolitan Police, if arrangements could be made for a Metropolitan Police Drugs Squad Officer to pay visits to Hong Kong and Bangkok, each of approximately two weeks duration, to study narcotics problems in depth. I will take this up with FCO and Home Office on my return to London.
12. As will be evident from paragraphs 7-9 above, I was afforded the opportunity whilst in Hong Kong of examining the problems and resources of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force in depth. I was at the same time provided with a number of detailed briefs which are available for information and reference in my office.
13. However, to avoid detailed repetition and unnecessary statistical information, I intend to confine the comments in this report to areas of principal significance.
14. In the first place, I considered it to be of importance to obtain some indication as to how the Government of Hong Kong intended to ensure a degree of continuity in the command of the Force. This I discussed with His Excellency the Acting Governor and with the Secretary for the Civil Service and reported confi- dentially to the Acting Governor on the subject prior to my departure.
15.
With the assistance of the Commissioner and Deputy, potential promotion material in the upper echelons of the Police was identified and, having disposed of a substantial amount of "dead wood" over the last two years, the Royal Hong Kong Folice Force is better now than ever before to fill vacancies within the hierarchy from its own upper and middle rank resources by pursuing the present policy of selective promotion on merit.
16. In the course of my visit I encountered considerable comment on the rôle of ICAC and its effect on the morale of the Police Force. Although morale in the Force has stood up remarkably well against the pressures and Press innuendoes of the last few years, it would be humbug to pretend that the Force is unaffected by the presence and pervasive activities of ICAC.
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