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PART I
GENERAL REPORT AND SURVEY OF THE YEAR
INTRODUCTION
THE primary function of a Police Force is the prevention of crime and the arrest of criminals. At the same time a Police Officer must look on himself as a servant and guardian of the general public. These two principles were first stated in 1829 by a famous Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and are still applicable today in judging the work of any Force.
2. As in past years a substantial part of this Report is devoted to the administration of the Force and to crime and its prevention during 1962-63. But no separate section has been set aside to describe the Hong Kong Police Officer in his important role of 'servant and guardian of the general public.' The main part of this Introduction endeavours to do this.
3. This is not an easy role to assess objectively. In Hong Kong where demands on all public facilities greatly outweigh the supply, the policeman may frequently appear to individual members of the public as someone far removed from being their 'servant and guardian.' The Traffic Police in their efforts to control parking and direct traffic flow to the best general advantage and the Uniformed Branch officers in controlling crowds at football gates or water standpipes appear to many in our community as unreasonable in restricting the exercise of the public's personal rights. Moreover where a public problem assumes unusual proportions the importance of direct police action is often overriding and not always popular. The large influx of illegal immi- grants during May, 1962 which is described in detail in the main body of this Report exemplifies this. At the time the measures taken to prevent unrestricted entry from China were criticized from several public quarters without consideration of the long term consequences. And in this criticism the Police, despite their restraint and sympathy, would not have been described as 'servants and guardians' of the public. 4. But these criticisms are largely subjective and arise out of Hong Kong's special problems of over-crowding and concentration. Fortunate- ly they are only made by a vociferous minority.
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