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have been recommended for that rank by me until at any rate several much more deserving and competicnt men junior to them had been first promoted.
I find also men as First Class Inspectors who I do not think are as fit for that rank as cthers junior to ther.
:
In the Indian and Chinese Contingents on the other hand the principle of selection seems to be observed.
There also seers to be an inclination to
put inspectors in charge of important Districts on account of their seniority while junior but wore capable Officers are not utilised. I would instance the Eastern and Western Districts of the City. I asked why a particular Inspector was in charge of the latter - a District that is always notorious for bad characters
that frequent it rather than the Inspector in the Eastern District, a much more capable Officer. The Acting Captain Superin- tendent of Folice said that he had been given to understand that the Senior Inspector took charge of the Restern District, I have no knowledge of any such rule.
DETECTIVE STAKE.
The organisation and duties as laid down in Folice Regulations are observed, but I find that in 1902 and the early part of 1903 five Chinese Verbers of the Staff were with- drawn from it and lent to private employers on payment. Although the pay of these men was re-imbursed to the Folice Department extra ren were not drafted to the Detective Branch their places being filled by recruits.
This has been recently done but the Detec- tive Staff was for months short of these men and the important duties in connection with the sections into which the City is divided (a Chinese Detective being placed in charge of each section) could not owing to the shortage be carried out to their