CONFIDENTIAL
Wit 65
HONG KONG POLICE: BACKGROUND TO RECENT EVENTS
BRIEF A
See Mo
1. Ever since the ICAC began its operations in 1974, morale within the Hong Kong Police Force has suffered. Few members of the Force felt safe from the Commission's investigations. The ICAC Commissioner is on record as estimating that 15% of Hong Kong police were involved in corruption; others have put the figure as high as 70%, though we have not seen any real evidence to support either figure. But even those with clear consciences knew that at any moment they could be subject to investigation because of a complaint brought by someone with a grudge against them. The police were also unhappy with ICAC's methods, particularly with the extent to which reliance was put on tainted witnesses and with the length of time investigations took.
2. This problem was aggravated by the refusal of senior police oficers to acknowledge the extent to which police morale had been affected. When the Overseas Police Adviser, in his biennial report on the Hong Kong police in January this year, drew attention to this shortcoming, his allegation was hotly denied by the Hong Kong Police Commissioner who affirmed that, while he did not deny that ICAC had had some effect on police morale, he had "no doubt that the generality of the Force are not inhibited by ICAC as such".
3. The problem finally came to a head this autumn when action against syndicated corruption left large numbers of police officers under "interdiction" (i.e. suspension on full pay while their cases were being investigated). They used the time thus left on their hands to raise support for direct action to express their grievances. This support was considerable: nearly three-quarters of the rank and file signed the petition that was eventually organized and about one-quarter actually took part in demonstrations. Faced with this situation and the Commissioner's assessment that the police would cease to be effective, the Governor agreed to an amesty for those against whom proceedings had not already
CONFIDENTIAL
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