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PART III THE DISTURBANCES
at developed further north near Waterloo Road and Gascoigne Road before the at police appeared there in any numbers apart from the isolated passing police car.
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144. Police action to suppress disturbances-South of Waterloo Road. Measures to meet this situation were initiated at Kowloon Police Headquarters shortly after 10 p.m. Mr. ROSE, Chief Superintendent of Police, second-in-com- mand of the Kowloon District and the Field Commander of the District Emergency Force at the time of its formation, told us that, about 10.15 p.m. Mr. SUTCLIFFE, id having received reports about the Yau Ma Tei company being stoned in Public Square Street, instructed Mr. ROSE to take his command vehicle together with two inspectors, a staff-sergeant and a corporal to investigate. Having left Kowloon Police Headquarters at the junction of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road, Mr. Rose moved southwards along Nathan Road and found the traffic impeded, though not ip stationary: moving very slowly in both directions. After crossing the Nathan Road/Waterloo Road junction he saw 'pockets of crowds' on the western side of Nathan Road; he put them at about 800 to 1,000 strong and as the vehicle crossed the lights at Waterloo Road, it was pelted with stones and its windows were broken but, with difficulty, it reached Public Square Street. Other reports show that a police mobile patrol car was also under attack in this area at the time and Mr. Rose saw buses being stoned. He turned his vehicle at the junction with Public Square Street, and reported back to Headquarters, asking for traffic diver- sions to be made and requesting that two of the emergency companies be sent to him so as to take action against the crowds.
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145. As a result, Headquarter and Yau Ma Tei companies were ordered to go to his assistance and the Police Training Contingent company was directed to approach Nathan Road via Gascoigne Road, so that three companies began con- verging on this area. At a later stage the Marine and the Kowloon City companies were brought in from Tsim Sha Tsui via Conton Road and Public Square Street. Meanwhile, moving north, Mr. Rose came to Man Ming Lane where crowds were throwing stones at buses and he was again stoned between Man Ming Lane and Wing Sing Lane, stoning which not only smashed all the remaining windows in his vehicle but also destroyed the public address system on the roof. He was expecting the Headquarter company to approach from the north at this time and, seeing two police vehicles and a land-rover coming over Waterloo Road, he stopped them, de-bussed their occupants, who came from No. 3 Platoon of Headquarter company, formed them up and directed them to fire tear smoke to disperse the crowds, which were mainly teenagers round the ages of 18 to 20, but very hostile, according to Mr. ROSE, shouting and cursing. The tear smoke had the effect of dispersing the crowds and part of the platoon moved north so as to take over the junction of Nathan Road and Waterloo Road but, for this purpose, it was necessary not only to use tear smoke but also to put in a baton charge. The crowd melted away before the charge but tended to re-form as soon as the police had passed. The position now was that he had part of the platoon holding the junction
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