CO129-556-3 Theft of detonators from Green Island Dangerous Good Depot 16-6-1936 - 16-6-1936 — Page 13

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Enclosure No.2.

Hon.Colonial Secretary.

Further inquiries into this larceny show that probably the outer bar on the window was cut the day before the inner bar was cut. It has also been discovered that a workman employed by the Kin Lee Building Contractor saw the broken bars at 13.15 hours on 4th instant and saw the three wooden lids from the boxes which had contained the detonators lying on the ground. The larceny was very probably committed by three or four men and it is difficult to believe that the seamen on the Island are not impli- cated. Inquiries are proceeding.

2. With regard to the conduct of the Police Sergeant and the Guards on Green Island, they maintain that they patrolled the premises at intervals. Acting Lance Sergeant B.324 Fazal Mohamed however did not observe the box lids lying on the ground during his tour of duty from 10.00 hours

and his case is being dealt with.

14.00 hours on 4th instant,

3. As far as I can ascertain Mr. Bailey, the custodian, is under the impression that he has received no instructions to examine the bars and door fastenings and that it is not his duty to do so. It would be a useful safeguard if he did examine all fastenings

daily

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perhaps morning and evening.

4. With regard to the keys of the magazines Mr. Bailey states that "during working hours the keys to the magazines are kept in the office hanging on the wall", and that "The Yale locks in the wooden doors and the ordinary lock in the iron gates are not kept locked during working hours, therefore the doors and gates are only locked with one key each instead of two".

The keys being left in the office are thus accessible

to the Chinese seamen on the island which I think is not entirely

satisfactory.

5.

The windows might be provided with steel shutters opening

and closing from inside of the magazines?

sd. D. BURLINGHAM. Inspector General of Police.

11th September,1935.