PART I
GENERAL REPORT AND SURVEY OF THE YEAR
INTRODUCTION
ONE of the major problems of any Police Force in a free society is the maintenance of proper relations with the public. There are two main reasons for creating a full exchange of ideas and information between Police Forces and the public which they serve. The first and lesser reason is to answer criticism; the second and more important is to enlist the support of the public not only for the purpose of combatting crime, but also to keep the law-abiding majority of the public informed of Police aims and methods and to encourage in each citizen a sense of civic duty and responsibility. Hong Kong's recent history has been remarkably orderly and free from major disturbances. This does not mean that the Police Force has been able to rest upon its laurels. Experience has shown that it is precisely at these times when the Police Force is able to con- centrate upon routine Police work undisturbed by major incidents, that the public for its part has time for reflection and thence for criticism of the Police and of other arms of Government.
2. Hong Kong is small and overcrowded. The crowded nature of the place makes it imperative to insist upon a high standard of public order. The industries, commerce and tourism on which the Colony so much depends for its prosperity cannot thrive without freedom of move- ment and this, in its widest sense, is what the Police Force has to ensure. More than half the Colony's population has come here from mainland China since the end of the Second World War. Although the housing position has much improved over the past few years there is still not enough permanent housing for all that require it. Particularly in the older urban areas, the congestion of people, buildings and vehicles is such that, unless public space, including roads, is sufficiently controlled in the best interest of the community as a whole, chaos results. It is a matter for regret that there is yet little civic feeling in Hong Kong. Despite increasing industrialization and the consequent growth in the number of people taking paid employment, there still persists the tradi- tional Chinese preference for possessing an independent business however
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