Appendix J.
REPORT OF THE CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF
POLICE FOR THE YEAR 1911.
Nothing in connection with crime calling for special mention occurred during the year under review until the outbreak of the Revolution in China. The trouble began in North China about the end of September but it was not till a month or so later that its effects were felt in this Colony. On the evening of the 9th November, excited by a rumour (false, as afterwards appeared) that Peking had fallen, practically the entire Chinese population came forth into the streets, and proceeded to discharge crackers, commandeer the trams, and indulge in other manifestations of jubilation. The outburst was quite sudden and unexpected. The crowd was for the most part quite good-natured and except for an attack on the office of a Chinese newspaper which ventured to deny the truth of the rumour no great harm was done. Soon after this, however, an unusual spirit of "hooliganism" manifested itself among the Chinese of the lower orders. Many instances occurred of attacks on, and organised resistance to the Police in the execution of their duty, and on several occasions European ladies were hustled and insulted in the streets by rowdies. It is impossible to say how many cases of the sort occurred as doubtless some were not reported. The perpetrators were probably bad characters from the neighbouring province of China, not regular inhabitants of the Colony. Prompt measures were taken to put an end to this state of things. The measures taken were as follow:
A Proclamation was issued bringing into force the provisions of Part II of the Peace Preservation Ordinance, 1886, and at the same time important amendments were made in that Ordinance, the general effect of which was to enable the Magistrate to impose a flogging with the "Cat" for practically all offences against the person. The Proclamation was still in force when the year closed. Twenty-five extra Indian Police were engaged and 20 soldiers from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry were enlisted as special constables. Also from the 2nd to 21st December inclusive the streets were patrolled at irregular periods by strong Military pickets accompanied by Police and a system of Police pickets was partly substituted for the ordinary beat duties, and continued to the end of the year.
It is satisfactory to record that the epidemic of insults to ladies was short-lived, but cases of resisting the Police continued to occur, though with decreasing frequency, for a considerable period. A special Military guard was placed over the Government Gunpowder Depôt on Green Island and the arms dealers' stocks of arms and ammunition were moved thither for safe custody early in January of the present year.