TNAG-0406-FCO40-452-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-the-Hong-Kong-polic-1973 — Page 73

CONFIDENTIAL

THE COMMISSION'S SECOND RECOMMENDATION PROPOSES THAT CONSIDER- ATION BE GIVEN TO THE DESIRABILITY OF INTRODUCING LEGISLATION EMPOWERING THE AUTHORITIES TO COOMPEL A PERSON SUSPECTED OF AN OFFENCE UNDER THE PREVENTION OF BRIBERY ORDINANCE TO SURRENDER HIS TRAVEL DOCUMENTS TO THE POLICE UPON AN ORDER TO THIS EFFECT BEING MADE BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS NOW CONSIDERING THIS, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID,

THE COMMISSION ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER TIGHTENING SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AT KAI TAK, ''THE PROBLEM IS ALREADY BEING EXAMINED BY THE AIRPORT SECURITY COMMITTEE, A GOVERNMENTS POKESMAN SAID. "SOME IMMEDIATE MEASURES TO TIGHTEN SECURITY AT THE AIRPORT HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN AND LONGER-TERM MEASURES ARE BEING CONSIDERED,'' HE ADDED.

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COMMENTING ON THE COMMISSION'S FINDINGS WHICH SUGGEST THAT MORE COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO MINIMISE THE RISK OF GODBER'S

DEPARTURE, THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MR. CHARLES SUTCLIFFE, SAID: ''ONE SHOULD NOT CONSIDER THE REASONS FOR THE DECISIONS TAKEN AT THIS TIME WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE BACKGROUND TO THE ENACTMENT OF THIS SECTION OF THE ORDINANCE, SECTION 16 WAS WIDELY CRITICISED IN HONG KONG, AND IN BRITAIN, FOR BEING

''AN INVASION OF PRIVACY'' AND "'AN INFRINGEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS''. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, WHEN INTRODUCING THE BILL, ACCEPTED THAT IT CONSTITUTED ''SOME INFRINGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL LIBERTY AND PRIVACY, ** WE, IN THE POLICE FORCE," SAID MR. SUTCLIFFE, *'HAVE BEEN LEFT IN NO DOUBT, FOLLOWING CONSISTENT ADVICE FROM OUR LEGAL ADVISERS, THAT THE LETTER AND INDEED THE SPIRIT OF THESE SECTIONS OF THE LAW WHICH PROTECTED THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL CONCERNED WERE TO BE SCRUPULOUSLY OBSERVED. WE WERE, NOT UNNATURALLY, PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE ON THIS POINT, AND THIS INFLUENCED THE DECISIONS WE TOOK ON MEASURES WHICH MIGHT HAVE REDUCED THE POSSIBILITY OF GODBER'S DEPARTURE, THE COMMISSIONER

**

ADDED.

''THE MEASURES SUGGESTED BY SIR ALASTAIR TO MINIMISE THE RISK OF CODBER'S DEPARTURE WERE NOT OVERLOOKED. EACH ONE OF THEM WAS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED,' SAID THE COMMISSIONER,

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''AND ALTHOUGH

/ AS MR. DAWSON