1869 — Page 229

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON:

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference:

TILLICO. 133

420.

421.

213

Population of Hongkong and British Kowloon, exclusive of Shipping and Boat population, -98,335.

Strength of the Police of all grades on 31st December, exclusive of Water Police, Guards over Gaols and other Public Buildings, and men employed on special duty, 385.

Proportion of Police to population,-One policeman to 255 persons.

(1.)

The crine Returns for 1869, Appendices A and B, compare very favorably with those for last, and previous years.

From the subjoined Statement it will be seen that serious offences have decreased 22.6 per cent, minor offences 18.4 per cent, and all crime 19.3 per cent; as compared with similar Returns for 1868.

Minor Offences.

Year.

1808

1800

Serious Offences.

1,249 967

Decrease.

28

4,450 3,034

Decrease.

Decrease.

All Offences.

822

6,705 4,001

1,101

Only three of the five cases of murder reported during the year were committed in this Colony. In one the prisoners were brought here for trial, the crime having occurred on board the British Barque "Nile" off Borneo.

Of the three cases which occurred in this Colony the most atrocious were those of Mr. Holworthy, Assistant Superintendent Military Stores Department, and of Police Sergeant Mahoney,

1. Mr. Holworthy was attacked when walking at mid-day on one of the hill-roads on 24th January; the object appears to have been robbery solely. Within two weeks information was received that the stolen property--a watch and chain-was in a Chinese District about 40 miles from Hong kong. In May the names of the four men said to have been implicated in the murder were obtained, and in July and August two of them were arrested, and the watch recovered in Chinese territory, by the co-operation of Mandarin Chien Túng (.) The two prisoners were subsequently tried, convicted, and sentenced to decapitation in Canton by the Chinese authorities, as there exist no means, under

any treaty, of claining the rendition of Chinese guilty of crime on British soil. 2. The murder of Police Sergeant Mahoney arose from a piratical attack on the Village of Shau-ki-wan, by a party of twenty-eight armed men who landed from a junk. by two Punjabee Constables on duty, who showed much courage in resisting them, and were both They were observed severely wounded. Sergeant Mahoney, hearing the report of firearms, hastened to their assistance; but appears to have been killed before he could use his arms. In this case, four men were convicted and sentenced to death; but they were subsequently released,-the principal witnesses for the cution having been convicted of perjury.

prose-

3. On the night of 18th February four armed men landed from a sampan in Deep-Bay, and attacked a lonely hut which is situated close to the beach, and was at that time inhabited by a fisher- man named Chii-a-Cheũng and his wife. In attempting to protect his property the fisherman received a wound in the neck, from which he died a lingering death in hospital. The robbers having ransacked the hut, and transferred the few articles worth taking to the sampan, shoved off, and were out of sight long before the woman, who made the report at the Stanley Station, returned with the Police.

In this case, no clue has ever been obtained, nor under the circumstances, was it from the first at all probable that evidence would be forthcoming, as all the parties implicated had so speedily escaped beyond the jurisdiction of the local Courts.

4. Three Greeks were charged with piracy and murder in the nighbourhood of Shanghai, and were arrested, two by the local Police in Hongkong, and one by a Shanghai Constable, in Macao. In consequence of there being no Greek Consul in this Colony these men were subsequently released by the Supreme Court.

5. There is a very remarkable decrease in kidnapping compared with last and previous years, via:-68 cases in 1867, 53 cases in 1868, against 7 cases reported during 1869.

This may be partly attributed to the introduction of Ordinance 3 of 1868, which empowers the Supreme Court to award the punishment of whipping in addition to imprisonment, and also to a subsequent Proclamation in the Government Gazette offering a reward of $20 for evidence leading to conviction of this offence. 6. With the exception of drunkenness, which is almost entirely confined to Foreigners, and which, I regret to say, has increased by 169 cases, ie. 27.2 per cent-compared with last year-all minor offences show a large decrease.

(4) This is probably much less than the real number of inhabitants, hat the Kurts have heen tɛken from the last census return. (4.) This propertion of Palce to the population is smaller thao that which prevnih in some Inuian towns, where the duties are by no means so difficult.

7. Prevention of Crime.-The success of the Police is so much enhanced by the deportation of old offenders that every effort is made to arrest men of this class. In this we have received valuable assistance from the Gaming-house licensees, who have, during the past year, caused the apprehension of 140 men who were convicted under Ordinance 9 of 1857; most of whom had been previously branded and deported.

8. Assistance has also been received from the Native District Watchmen, who have brought up several cases during the year.

9. Night patrolling, both on horseback and on foot, has been efficiently performed and its value has been especially shown on the roads above Victoria, at Pok-foo-lum, and British Kowloon, where several daring robberies have been averted by the opportune arrival of the Police.

10. The introduction of new Ordinances has doubtless reduced some serious offences; accidental circumstances may also have contributed to the temporary diminution of crime, but I consider that its steady decrease during the last four years may be reasonably accepted as proof that the exertions of the officers of this departinent have not been wholly futile; and that, as regards the prevention of crime, the chief purpose for which a Police is maintained, the force has not been unsuccessful.

11. Detection. The subjoined statement shews an improvement in the working of the Police as tested by the percentage of prisoners convicted and discharged. No reliable record has hitherto been kept of the number of cases traced, and the amount of property recovered, by the Police; but forms for this purpose are now being prepared.

OFFENCES.

SERIOUS.

MINOR.

Persons

Year.

arrested.discharged.

1868

1809

1,422 880

617 285

Persons No. of Persons convicted.

Total.

195 601

Year.

(No. per cent

63.6

Persons Persons No. of Persons convicted. arrested. discharged. Total.

No, per cent.

67.0

1869 1880

3,836 2,062

*95 647

9,041

70.6

2,005

75.6

12. It is impossible to lay down any standard in detection below which the working of a Police force can be justly condemned. Success in this respect must depend quite as much on external circumstances, such as the talent and dexterity displayed by the criminal classes, the natural features of the country, and the character of its natives,-as on the ability and exertions of the Police. As a remarkable illustration of this I may refer to the present deplorable state of Ireland, where numerous agrarian outrages, of the most daring character, have hitherto baffled the ablest detective officers, so much so that it was lately stated by Lord Cairns in the House of Lords that in Ireland, during the year 1869, out of 59 cases of murder and other heinous offences, including eighteen assassinations, in only one had the criminal been discovered and committed for trial. Here the dishonesty of the na- tives, on whom we have to depend for the detection of crime, renders it impossible to maintain an organized detective Police. Indeed, if such a force did exist, I ain of opinion that it would be of very little use, unless outposts could be maintained, under European supervision, at different points in the San-On District, and in Canton and Macao; which, under existing circumstances would of course be impossible.

13. There is ample evidence to shew that the perpetrators of most of the serious offences which have occurred in this Colony were inhabitants of Chinese territory. Many daring crimes have been cvidently planned beyond our jurisdiction. And, in most cases, precautionary arrangements were made by the depredators to secure a safe retreat before information could reach the Police.

14. From Appendix C it will be seen that larceny by servants has decreased in a very remark- able manner since the opening of licensed Gaming Houses, the average number of cases reported per quarter during the years 1863, 1866, and 1867 being 82, compared with 25 during 1868, and 15 during 1869.

15. I take this opportunity of submitting a statement, Appendix D, of the working of the different mciabers of the force, as tested by the number of persons arrested, convicted, and discharged; which was called for some months ago by His Excellency the Governor, but in consequence of Mr. Deane's illness, remained unfinished when he left the Colony on sick leave. This return shows the number of persons apprehended and the result of these arrests. In the Water Police, the European Constable

in charge of a boat invariably gets credit for all arrests, although in most instances be receives the information from Chinese Lo-kongs. For this reason the statement cannot be relied on in the cases of Europeans, and Chinese; but, it is useful to show the comparative efficiency of the Sikhs and other Indian members of the force, in the performance of the most important duty of a Municipal Police.