186
HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
The Force is responsible for policing the harbour and the six hundred square miles of territorial waters of the Colony. The rugged outline of the mainland and the scores of islands, large and small, give the Colony five hundred miles of coast to be watched and guarded, whilst the Port of Victoria is one of the world's greatest harbours. One thousand marine hawkers, mostly plying in the harbour area, and a large sea-going population, living abroad junks and other small craft, add to the complexities of the task. Some twenty thousand junks in the waters of the Colony require very special attention both for their own protection and the pre- vention of offences.
Chain of Command. The Force is organized under a Colony Headquarters and its main components are two territorial police districts, the Criminal Investigation Depart- ment, the Special Branch, and the Anti-Corruption and Narcotic Branch. The Police Training School, Traffic Divi- sion, Communications and Transport Branch, and the Police Band come directly under Headquarters. The two territorial districts, Hong Kong Island, and Kowloon and the New Territories, are divided into divisions, sub-divisions, stations and posts. Included in the Kowloon and New Territories district is the Marine Division which has a fleet of 24 craft. Most of the vessels are fitted with radio-telephone or wireless telegraphy, and eight of them are fitted with radar.
The Criminal Investigation Department is generally re- sponsible for the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime, with specialized units at Headquarters and detective units decentralized throughout the two territorial districts. The Special Branch is responsible for the prevention and detection of subversive activities. The Anti-Corruption and Narcotics Branch is designed as a centralized unit for the better collection and dissemination of information, and the investigation and prosecution of offences relating to corrupt practices and narcotics.
On 31st December, 1956, the Force had a total strength