10
Public Order
AFTER nearly 10 years without major disturbances of civic peace and quiet, Hong Kong witnessed a sudden outbreak of rioting in April, following demonstrations against a proposed increase in Star Ferry fares. The disturbances occurred on the nights of 6th and 7th April in the Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei Divisions of Kowloon district. A curfew was imposed and the entire Hong Kong Police Force, including the Auxiliary-Police, was mobilized into its riot structure. Four regular army companies assisted the police, together with the Hong Kong Regiment and the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. Elements of the Essential Services Corps were also alerted, though their full call-out did not prove necessary. The Governor subsequently appointed a Commission of Inquiry into the disturbances under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Hogan. The commission's report is not yet available.
Further extraordinary demands were made on the police force during the flooding and landslides resulting from the June rainstorm, when the police, particularly of Hong Kong Island district, were engaged in every aspect of relief work and especially the co-ordina- tion of emergency communications and the re-routing of traffic.
The Kowloon disturbances re-emphasized the importance of hav- ing an adequate internal security structure. The internal security role of the police force had already been the subject of detailed examination by the government and many improvements had been suggested, aimed mainly at increasing the number of police available for riot duties. New methods of deployment and new scales of equipment will shortly be introduced to strengthen police district emergency forces.
Relations between the police and the general public have been studied in detail during the year. The introduction of a full-time press officer for the force has greatly assisted and amplified police