TNAG-0549-FCO40-644-Allegations-of-corruption-and-bribery-in-Hong-Kong-police-an-1975 — Page 25

NOTE: THIS TRANSCRIPT WAS TYPED FROM A TV TELEDITHONE RECORDING

AND NOT COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT. BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF MISHEARING AND THE DIFFICULTY, IN SOME CASES, OF IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, THE BBC CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS ACCURACY

EXTRACT FROM "MIDWEEK"

16th January, 1975

recorded from transmission 2235 (BBC-1)

KENNEDY:

Good evening. Tonight's MIDWEEK has been specialy extended so we can shew you both our report on the Hong Kong police and also part of a major interview with Dr.Henry Kissinger which is also being transmitted in the United States tonight. This week, Dr.Kissinger has been at the center of two major news stories. In Washington, he's been meeting with Western finance ministers to discuss plans for money from oil producing countries to be lent to the oil importing countries. And last night he announced that the proposed trade agreement with the Russians had been finally rejected by the Soviet Union.

First, though, Hong Kong

one of the last remnants of

alleged bribery and

the British Empire and the growing scandal of extortion within its largely British officered police force. The extradition of ex-Chief Superintendent Feter Godber from England to the island to face charges of accepting a bribe, have again raised the issues of how widespread is the corruption within the Colony's police force. Here now is a special investigation by Tom Mangold.

MANGOLD:

until last year

head of the Royal Hong Kong Police Homicide Squad, has retired to live in Southern Spain. Instead of a police pension, he still has some of the half-million pounds he took in corruption pay-offs left to see him through his old age.

The BMW was bought for cash. Just one of the little perks of being a policeman on the take in Hong Kong.

Police corruption in Hong Kong is natural as going to bed at night and waking up in the morning and brushing your teeth. It permeates the whole of the police force - CID, uniformed branch, everybody that can possibly do it is on the take. When I was there about 95% of the force was bent. I made a few bob. I was on the take for 18 years. In fact I made a lot of bobs. I lived a gracious life and then I got nicked and the Chinese newspapers referred to me as the first great tiger, which is rather silly really because I was only a little mini tiger in comparison to one officer I know. A Chinese staff sergeant who got away with five-hundred-million Hong Kong, which is roughly somewhere round about forty-million qui?. I know it sounds a

officer ridiculous statement but this

was a class I detective staff sergeant in a

a key post. For a period of seven years as class I his take, daily take, was several hundred thousand dollars a day and of course a gambling, drugs and prostitution have no holidays. It's 24 hour a day business and the police demand 24 hour a day payment.

BBH