From: A P Stringer TD
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Director of MOD Security
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Room 4117 Main Building, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB
Telephone (Direct Dialling) 071-21-80991
(Switchboard) 071-21-89000
Our ref: D/MOD Sy 14/6/7 (205/93)
N C G Whitney Esq.,
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office HKA 233/5
London
SW1A 2AH
Dew Ws. Olitney,
TRY
17 MAR 1993
S
1
PA
NCGISTRY Action Taken
9 March 1993
HMOCS: HOME CIVIL SERVICE: SECURITY VETTING AND RESIDENCE
(3)
Thank you for your letter of 15 February.
There appears to have been some misunderstanding about the advice given you by Squadron Leader Hatton concerning the acceptability of Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) officers for service in the RAF and waiver of the 5 year residence rule in their favour. This advice appears to relate to a specific case and to the recruitment policy as it stands now not post-1997. Post- 1997, as you are aware, we shall not be able to carry out security checks in Hong Kong and therefore the longer an officer remains there the more difficult it becomes to clear him. Each case would have to be decided on its merits.
Turning the draft "Note of Guidance" enclosed with your letter, the paragraphs on vetting are a little misleading. "Vetting" is not carried out to establish "good character", only to establish that the individual is sufficiently reliable and trustworthy to have access to classified material or information. As presently drafted, it could be inferred from your proposed guidance that vetting may be carried out for management as well as for security That is not the case. Also, I am not aware of a continuance of "negative vetting" even within the police forces although they do carry out checks against police records i.e. form of "Reliability Check".
reasons.
1
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CONFIDENTIAL
a
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