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The War.
When the Japanese attacked Hong Kong the Force was called out by Proclamation to serve as militia and some seventy casualties were suffered. On the fall of the Colony all Euro- pean Police were interned for the duration of the Pacific war and many of the Asiatic members of the Force made their way into Free China.
Re-establishment of Law and Order.
At the time of the re-occupation the establishment of law and order was one of the more urgent and difficult tasks facing the Military Administration. The number of firearms in the Colony was disturbingly large and their use for criminal ends was widespread. Looting of abandoned or empty premises and illicit felling of trees were serious problems. The burden of maintaining law and order fell chiefly on the fighting ser- vices in the early days of the re-occupation. Ex-internees did what they could to help and without their valuable experience it would have been very difficult to make a start at all; but it was clear that very few were fit for duty and that they must be repatriated as soon as possible. Of the Asiatic rank and file only a nucleus was available for re-employment, and many of these were found medically unfit. The Police Branch of the Civil Affairs Unit was seriously under strength for the first few months of the Military Administration; by December, 1945, of the ex-internees all British officers, all but 12 British inspectors and all Indian personnel had been sent away on recuperative leave. The Police Branch of Civil Affairs had 32 British inspectors against an establishment on paper of 115, whilst only 50% of the commissioned establishment had been filled. Recruitment of Chinese personnel had been put in hand without delay and an extempore Police Training School had been established in October, 1945, but the strength, disci- pline and training of the Force as a whole left much to be desired.
During early 1946 progress towards the establishment of an effective force first became apparent. It was possible to employ temporarily some British inspectors who had previous- ly served in the Shanghai Municipal Police Force, and semi- trained personnel from the improvised training school began to be turned out for duty. Newly recruited inspectors began to arrive from the United Kingdom in February, many of them having considerable experience in various British Police Forces. Discipline picked up in the spring and it became possible gradually to take over from the Services some of the police functions they had been discharging.
Resumption of Civil Government.
When Civil Government was resumed on 1st May, 1946, although the Force was still under strength all police duties had been taken over from the Services except the policing of