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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH AUGUST, 1880.
REPORT CALLED FOR BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR ON THE
NIGHT DUTIES OF THE POLICE.
I have the honour to forward a Return of the Night Duties of the Police. of 30th August to 6 A.M. of 31st August has been taken as a sample.
The time from 6 r.
2. I enclose a Comparative Return of same period for three years for the Central District. 1. other Districts had similar duties and men in these three
years.
3. I enclose the Central District Duty Books for August, 1876, 1877, and a copy of the 12 .. above alluded to in 1878, as the original book is in use.
4. I also forward the rough Returns for 10th August of the men in the Force, together with fair abstract of the same,
5. The Beat Book enclosed has virtually been unaltered since 1874.
It will be observed the large as those beats are, I have rarely enough men to fill them all, in which case one man takes charg
of two beats.,
3rd September, 1878.
W. M. DEANE, Captain Superintendent of Pe
MINUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR.
I have read these papers carefully, but would be glad to see the Comparative Returns from th other Districts made in a similar form to the Returns of the Central District.
J. POPE HENNESSY,
Governor. 9th September, 1878
MINUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR.
1. I return the Police Books-Volumes eleven and twelve, showing the duties for 1876 aui 1877—which I have perused, together with the Report of Mr. DEANE and the Returns he was good enough to prepare at my request on the night duties of the Police Force.
2. Those Documents confirm the suspicions I entertained that the night beats in this Colony ar undermanned.
3. They also show that in the most important District the number of the Police on regular bears between midnight and six o'clock in the morning has been reduced since 1876, in the case of the European Force, from 14 to 8, and in the case of the Chinese Force, from about 20 to 15.
4. The Captain Superintendent also says that he has rarely enough men to fill all the beats, ani that in such cases he has to order one man to take charge of two beats.
5. Let the night beats and patrols in the Victoria District be at once restored to the maximut. strength of 1876; and let the Captain Superintendent prepare for my consideration a revised scheu of night beats and patrols of about thirty-three per cent. greater strength than the maximum I refer to 6. In future I should like to see weekly returns of the night duties, and to receive a special report before the numbers are altered in any particular district.
J. POPE HENNESSY,
Governor.
27th September, 1875.
Extract from ReporT OF COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (1878-79)
ON POLICE AND CRIME.
*
6. "The Committee are strongly of opinion that under the existing system the City of Victor "especially in the Central District, is insufficiently policed during the night time, i.e., from 10 F.M.
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6 A.M.; and that in lieu of its present distribution, two-thirds of the force ought to be on duty durin. "those hours.
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7. "Two objections have been urged against this disposition of the Police by Mr. DEANE, whic "he has carefully summarised in a memo. laid by him before the Committee. (Appendix, Docum??. I, p. vi.). In the first place, he thinks that the circumstances of the town render it 'expedient "maintain a large proportion of men on day duty, and consequently a lesser one on night duty th
obtains in England," and he supports this view with arguments worthy of attentive consideration
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