BACKGROUND NOTE
HONG KONG: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION ON THE HONG KONG POLICE FORCE
1. The morale of the Hong Kong Police Force has suffered due to the success of the recent drive against corruption. In October, the Independent Commission Against Corruption ordered a large number of arrests, directed particularly against syndicated corruption. As a reaction against this, about 100 policemen, mostly themselves under investigation, organized a petition which was signed by about two-thirds of the Force. On 28 October, dissatisfied by the response they had received from the authorities, the petitioners organized a mass meeting attended by approximately 2,000 policemen. At the end of this, after the leaders had seen the Police Commissioner, a breakaway group of some 40 officers went to the offices of ICAC. A scuffle broke out between these officers and ICAC officials and some minor injuries and damage to
property resulted.
2. The meeting between the Commissioner and the rebel leaders, and the Commissioner's reply to the petition, did not calm the situation as hoped. Further protest meetings followed and it became clear how strongly felt the police opposition to ICAC was. By 5 November, the Commissioner was no longer certain of the loyalty of the Force. When advised to this effect, the Governor felt he had no option but to declare a partial amnesty from ICAC investigations in respect of corruption offences committed prior to 1 January 1977 in cases where proceedings had not already been started. He also set up a Committee to investigate complaints against ICAC. These measures removed the uncertainty that was hanging over the Force and thus divided the militants, most of whom were not covered by the amnesty, from the bulk of their colleagues. On 7 November the representatives of all ranks of the Force pledged their loyalty to the Commissioner and undertook to communicate any grievances they might have through established
channels.
3.
On the same day the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed a
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