XN000022-1981-10-28 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1981

MR LO NOTED THAT THE OTHER CRITICISM WAS DIRECTED AT THE SYSTEM OF USING MEMBERS OF THE SAME POLICE FORCE TO INVESTIGATE THE CONDUCT OF THEIR FELLOW POLICEMEN.

+WHERE DOES THIS ARGUMENT TAKE US?+ HE ASKED.

+IF, FOR EXAMPLE, A SPECIAL CORPS IS ESTABLISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT SEPARATELY FROM THE POLICE FORCE, CAN IT NOT THEN BE CRITICISED BECAUSE MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ARE BEING EMPLOYED TO INVESTIGATE THE CONDUCT OF OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT?

+TO BE ABSURD, EVEN IF THE SPECIAL CORPS WERE ATTACHED TO A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT, THERE WOULD DOUBTLESS BE CRITICS WHO WOULD COMPLAIN THAT MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RACE WERE INVESTIGATING FELLOW HUMANS.+

PSYCHOLOGICALLY, MR LO CONTINUED, HE ACCEPTED THAT IT WAS DESIRABLE TO DESTROY ANY SUGGESTION OF COLLUSION OR OF THE TURNING OF A BLIND EYE.

+THAT IS PRECISELY WHY THERE IS A UMELCO GROUP. WE CAN AND WE DO GO INTO ANY FILE WE CHOOSE AND IN DEPTH. WE CAN AND WE DO DUPLICATE SOME INVESTIGATIONS AND WE CAN AND WE DO INTERVIEW WITNESSES TO ENSURE THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO MISREPRESENTATION OF THEIR EVIDENCE BY CAPO.

+ALL OF THIS IS IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT. AS WE SAID IN EFFECT IN THE REPORT. WHILST THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, WE ARE SATISFIED THAT CAPO IS RUN VERY MUCH ON THE RIGHT LINES,+ HE SAID.

MR LO ALSO SAID THAT FROM THE PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW IT WAS CLEARLY FAR MORE ECONOMICAL AND SENSIBLE TO ESTABLISH AN ELITE UNIT WITHIN A LARGE POLICE FORCE THAN IT WAS TO ESTABLISH A SEPARATE FORCE ALTOGETHER.

THIS IS AN ELEMENTARY ADMINISTRATIVE POINT WHICH NEED NOT BE DWELT ON, HE ADDED,

+BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT: A POL ICEMAN KNOWS THE TRAINING, THE REACTION AND THE THINKING OF ANOTHER POLICEMAN, HE IS A TRAINED INVESTIGATOR AND AS A POLICEMAN HE CAN TELL WHETHER IN A MOMENT OF STRESS THE REACTION OF A POLICEMAN IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF A GOOD POLICEMAN.

+ IT IS PERHAPS FOR SIMILAR REASONS THAT WHEN THE CONDUCT OF A MEMBER OF THE BAR IS CALLED INTO QUESTION, THE INVESTIGATION IS INVARIABLY DONE BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BAR AND WHEN THE CONDUCT OF A SOLICITOR IS CALLED INTO QUESTION, THE INVESTIGATION IS INVARIABLY DONE BY OTHER SOLICITORS.

+WHAT IS PERHAPS NOTEWORTHY IS THAT NO ONE HAS EVER SUGGESTED THAT THIS SYSTEM IS INHERENTLY WRONG OR COLLUSIVE,+ MR LO SAID.

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