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Tulliallan Castle, at the Metropolitan Training School, Hendon, or at other training centres. In 1961 one overseas officer and seven local officers attended one of these courses. Specialist courses of various kinds are organized locally from time to time and this year, these included a course for civilian employees in the Force who work as interpreter/translators and report room clerks.
Communications and Transport. Motor transport, radio and tele- phone communications, and the training and supply of police drivers are the responsibility of the Communications and Transport Branch, which is controlled from Colony Headquarters.
The communications network consists of radio stations linking the Colony Headquarters with districts, divisions, stations, launches and patrol vehicles. Police telephone exchanges are installed in each district and a teleprinter system operated from Headquarters transmits messages to 20 receiver stations in all parts of the Colony. The installation, maintenance and servicing of radio equipment is undertaken by qualified radio technicians employed in the Police Radio Workshops. The majority of these technicians obtained their qualifications at the Hong Kong Technical College.
There were 423 motor vehicles ranging from armoured cars to motor cycles on the Police transport establishment. A permanent driving school is maintained where selected, fully trained, con- stables are given an initial three months concentrated course of driving instruction on light vehicles before undertaking driving duties. As they gain experience they receive further instruction on all types of vehicles used by the Force.
Traffic. The number of motor vehicles registered and in use in the Colony increased by 6,936 to a total of 55,826 at the end of 1961. On 1st March the Motor Vehicle First Registration Tax was introduced and imposed on private cars, motor cycles and dual purpose vehicles. After the introduction of this tax 3,292 private cars were registered and licensed compared with 3,898 during the same period in 1960.
The Traffic Branch worked closely with the Traffic Engineering Section of the Public Works Department and good progress was made in the planning and introduction of road safety measures. These included the installation of push button operated traffic