K 11
SECTION 6. SPECIAL Branch,
43. Chinese Affairs. The year was not marked by any serious anti-British activity on the part of communists. Anti-Japanese feeling remained strong but latent. A number of new guilds and labour associations were formed during the year, and together with older guilds, were active in collecting subscriptions for Chinese war relief and Chinese national welfare. Three small strikes occurred during the year.
44. Immigration and Passports. During the year there were 42 persons of various nationalities, other than Chinese, put before the court for the following offences :-
Breach of Passports Ordinance (including 2 cases of possession of false passports) 33; stowaways 7; vagrant 1; returning from banishment 1.
Full passport examination service was instituted on 1st April.
45. Registration of Persons. 6,280 aliens registered. 4,223 registered aliens left the Colony. 51 aliens became British subjects by naturalization; 10 persons (Portuguese subjects) renounced British nationality and were registered as aliens. There were 31 convictions for breach of the Registration of Persons Ordinance No. 12 of 1939. On 31st December there were 4,346 registered aliens in the Colony.
46. Enemy Aliens.
On the declaration of war there were 262 enemy aliens in the Colony, including 117 of military age. Of this number 99 were provisionally interned, and 161 served with restriction orders under the Defence Regulations, 1939. Following consideration of individual cases the position on 31st December was 23 interned and 167 subjected to restrictions.
47. The outbreak of war with Germany added heavily to the work and responsibilities of the Special Branch which maintains close liaison with the Naval and Military authorities. It was found necessary to make substantial increases to the staff of the Branch during the year.
SECTION 7. HONG KONG Island.
48. In the Island of Hong Kong the influx of refugees continued throughout most of the year and caused extreme over-crowding in Chinese tenements.
49. Large numbers of refugees were forced by poverty to try to make a living by unlicensed hawking, and this offence was the cause of congestion and danger to traffic in the streets and also increased the work of sanitary authorities. Police staff was inadequate to deal effectively with this offence, and in any case, further prosecutions only embarrassed the magistrates and prison authorities.
50. Another effect of the increase of population was the large number of street sleepers and the great number of illegal shacks and sheds on the hillsides from Happy Valley to Shaukiwan.
51. Serious crime for the Island totalled 5,691 as against 5,934 in 1938. Of these 68 were outrages as compared with 40 in 1938. The most spectacular of these crimes was the gun duel in Lee Tung Street East in which a Chinese detective was murdered, one of his assailants slain and the other captured (See paragraph E of Section 5). There were 4,733 larcenies in 1939 as against 4,976 in 1938. Of these 2,910 were charge cases. There were 889 other serious offences, including 743 charge cases, as against 918 cases in 1938. Most of the larcenies were due to extreme poverty. There were 18,033 minor offences as against 24,299 in 1938. The number of hawking cases was 11,580 as against 18,299 in 1938.
K 11
SECTION 6. SPECIAL BRanch,
43. Chinese Affairs. The year was not marked by any serious anti-British activity on the part of communists. Anti-Japanese feeling remained strong but latent. A number of new guilds and labour associations were formed during the year, and together with older guilds, were active in collecting subscriptions for Chinese war relief and Chinese national welfare. Three small strikes occurred during the year. -
44. Immigration and Passports. During the year there were 42 persons of various nationalities, other than Chinese, put before the court for the following offences :-
Breach of Passports Ordinance (including 2 cases of possession of false passports) 33; stowaways 7; vagrant 1; returning from banishment 1.
Full passport examination service was instituted on 1st April.
45. Registration of Persons. 6,280 aliens registered. 4,223 registered aliens left the Colony. 51 aliens became British subjects by naturalization; 10 persons (Portuguese subjects) renounced British nationality and were registered as aliens. There were 31 convictions for breach of the Registration of Persons Ordinance No. 12 of 1939. On 31st December there were 4,346 registered aliens in the Colony.
46. Enemy Aliens.
On the declaration of war there were 262 enemy aliens in the Colony, including 117 of military age. Of this number 99 were provisionally interned, and 161 served with restriction orders under the Defence Regulations, 1939. Following consideration of individual cases the position on 31st December was 23 interned and 167 subjected to restrictions.
47. The outbreak of war with Germany added heavily to the work and responsibilities of the Special Branch which maintains close liaison with the Naval and Military authorities. It was found necessary to make substantial increases to the staff of the Branch during the year.
SECTION 7. HONG KONG Island.
48. In the Island of Hong Kong the influx of refugees continued throughout most of the year and caused extreme over-crowding in Chinese tenements.
49. Large numbers of refugees were forced by poverty to try to make a living by unlicensed hawking, and this offence was the cause of congestion and danger to traffic in the streets and also increased the work of sanitary authorities. Police staff was inadequate to deal effectively with this offence, and in any case, further prosecutions only embarrassed the magistrates and prison authorities.
50. Another effect of the increase of population was the large number of street sleepers and the great number of illegal shacks and sheds on the hillsides from Happy Valley to Shaukiwan.
51. Serious crime for the Island totalled 5,691 as against 5,934 in 1938. Of these 68 were outrages as compared with 40 in 1938. The most spectacular of these crimes was the gun duel in Lee Tung Street East in which a Chinese detective was murdered, one of his assailants slain and the other captured (See paragraph E of Section 5). There were 4,733 larcenies in 1939 as against 4,976 in 1938. Of these 2,910 were charge cases. There were 889 other serious offences, including 743 charge cases, as against 918 cases in 1938. Most of the larcenies were due to extreme poverty. There were 18,033 minor offences as against 24,299 in 1938. The number of hawking cases was 11,580 as against 18,299 in 1938.
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