CO129-377 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [5] — Page 201

in serious crime.

196

3.

The Captain Superintendent of Police

attributes this increase in serious crime to "the spasmodic

energy of Chinese Officials in 1910" which resulted in driving

a great number of criminals from China into this Colony and to

the raid on the nest of pirates on the island of Colowan which

was made by the Macao Government and resulted in the influx of

a large number of sea-robbers into the waters of Hongkong. Both

these causes have no doubt had a serious influence on the crime

returns of this Colony. The percentage of convictions to cases

reported does not of course afford any indication of the number

of arrests made by the Police. Mr. F. J. Badeley pointed out

to me that the suppression of the Opium Divans had been a

serious obstacle to the Police for the criminal classes were

apt to congregate in the lowest class or "dross divans", and

detectives were thus enabled to arrest many men who were wanted,

and who used these divans as a temporary hotel or sleeping

house. In the absence of Opium Divans the Police have been very

energetic in raiding gambling houses, not merely in order to

suppress gambling but because among the gamblers there are very

many of the criminal classes who can thus be got rid of by

deportation. You will observe that the number of convictions

for