THE ARMed servICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
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Mine Countermeasures Squadron, based on HMS Tamar, carried out many Borneo patrols.
In August, following the visit of the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Denis Healey, it was decided that No 28 Squadron, whose Hunter fighters had long formed the main RAF presence in the Colony, would be disbanded in the New Year, as would Air Head- quarters shortly afterwards. No 28 Squadron has a 17-year record of service to the Colony in its long history of 51 years. Its task will be continued by detachments of aircraft from the Far East Air Force.
LOCAL FORCES AND CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICES
The local auxiliary defence services are the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force, the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (dealt with in Chapter 10) and the Essential Services Corps, which includes the three autonomous civil defence units-Auxiliary Fire Service, Auxiliary Medical Service and Civil Aid Services. All are adminis- tered under local legislation and paid for from funds voted by the Legislative Council. The total enrolment during the year was about 23,000 volunteers.
During the civil disturbances in Kowloon, and the June rainstorm, the auxiliary defence services rendered invaluable support to the police and military in dealing with the emergency situations which both events created.
Training commitments vary between the different services. Members of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force generally do 21 full days' training (including two weeks of camp or sea training, often with the regular services) as well as weekly or fortnightly instruction. The Auxiliary Police do a week's camp and seven full days training, plus four hours each fortnight of beat duty or instruc- tion, while the civil defence uniformed units normally train once a week but do few, if any, full days. The auxiliary services are greatly dependent on the public spirit of their volunteer members who willingly give their time to training, finding in this a useful means of serving the community. Employers are in general most co- operative in releasing members of their staff for these duties.
The Royal Hong Kong Defence Force includes the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve, the Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)