BACKGROUND NOTE
ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE (RHKPF):
VISIT OF THREE HOME OFFICE POLICE EXPERTS
1. In the wake of last autumn's disturbances in the RHKPF, the
Governor of Hong Kong invited three Home Office police experts to
visit the Colony and report on the state of the Force.
The team,
led by Mr J Crane, one of HM Inspectors of Constabulary, completed their review early last month after spending some four months in the Colony. They produced a series of separate papers on various subjects concerning the RHKPF and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and made detailed recommendations to the Hong Kong Government. In brief, they found much to praise but pointed to serious shortcomings in administration, discipline and man-management. Their recommendations were designed to correct these shortcomings, which they attributed largely to the rapid expansion of the Force in recent years and to the preoccupation of its leaders with the fight against crime.
2.
The Hong Kong Government have accepted most of the team's recommendations, which are very much in line with our own thinking and are implementing them with commendable vigour. The recommendations include the appointment of eleven senior officers from the UK; the development of closer links between the RHKPF and ICAC; better police training and the provision of housing for
all rank and file officers.