TNAG-0405-FCO40-451-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-the-Hong-Kong-polic-1973 — Page 101

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Later on, an Inspector Barnes from the Anti-Corruption Squad called on me, and I gave him further details, particularly on the set-up for the collection of racket money by the Police. I had informed him how the set-up worked, andin what way the CID and the Superintendent of Police were involved, and in what manner the case could best be investigated. Later on, I received two letters, both under the signature of Mr.Peter Law, Chief of the Anti-Corruption Squad, informing me that the Target Committee of the Anti-Corruption Squad had set my complaint at the very bottom of their so-called priority list, and a year later (1972) another letter stating that there was "no evidence".

i.

The operation of this so-called Target Committee is also highly questionable. This Committee was set up some years ago, with one Urban Councillor and a Xanager from Petroleum Company as its non-official members. Incidentally, this same Urban Councillor was the only councillor absent from the recent annual gala Meeting of the Urban Council hosted by H.. Governor in April, 1973. In the public interest, it is incumbent to find out how and why such Councillors are appointed to such an important section of the Anti-Corruption system in Fongkong.

At my insistence, the UMELCO Secretary Mr.Primrose, Legislative Councillor Fon.Mr.Szeto Bai, the Panchai City District Officer, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, etc., went to the Banchai address concerned at ten o'clock in the morning, and reported to me that there was "no evidence" of any vice activities in the area at the time (10 A.M. in the morning). I cannot think of a more grossly inappropriate hour to investigate a vice complaint, and I can only conclude that this was another deliberate "get-up

Such "set-ups", the dragging of feet by the Anti-Corruption Squad year in and year out, the veiled hostility of the Attorney-General's Office. all these constitute a positive discouragement to the public from making any complaints to the Anti-Corruption Squad. This is reflected in the paltry number of cases dealt with successfully by the Anti- Corruption Squad, only a couple of dozen cases or so every year out of thousands

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Nor does the matter rest there. There is every reason to believe that the name of the complaint is "lesked" out by the authorities to the rackoteers concerned, with resultant harrassment or even threat of death to the complainant. For instance, a Thai girl was deported from Hongkong in 1971 after testifying in a Court "ice" trial, and her name was cabled to the racketeers in Thailand. The very day she arrived there, she was so mercilessly tortured and her body cut and mutilated in so gruesome a manner, that even the local Thai Consulate was forced to take measures to protect such women in future after 1971 « The public, believe it or not, feel STRONGLY about these things. I trust, therefore, that due consideration be given to changes in basic anti-corruption procedures by the authorities,

co.UMELCO

co.Mr.Anthony Royle, London

co.Hon.Sir Alistair Blair-Kerr,

cc.Mr.Gardner,Mulloy

cc.r.Brooke Bernacchi,Q.C.

RETINED POTATO HAWKER