TNAG-0813-FCO40-1018-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 34

CONFIDENTIAL

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RECORD OF A MEETING AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE ON 21 SEPTEMBER

Present: Mrs E Elliott

Governor

Mrs Elliott called on 21 September.

1.

I had warned her in advance that while I would welcome a frank talk I was not prepared to become involved in a publicity stunt, and I should expect her to keep her meeting with me confidential.

2.

She handed me yet another document which is to some extent repetitive of previous cases, which is attached.

3. In handing me the further paper she said she did not expect me to do anything about the individual cases, some of which she realised were of no substance, but they were examples of the sort of thing that came to her. She was convinced a lot of framing went on.

4. I pointed out to her that in most of the cases of which she complained the person was acquitted, though often because of reasons quite different to the framing which she alleged. But I told her that the Attorney- General and I and for that matter the Commissioner of Police have no doubt that in some cases framing does take place, even though it may only be a tiny fraction of the whole. Clearly it is something which we must do everything we can to guard against.

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5.

I then outlined the steps we had taken or were taking that were relevant to this, as well as to many other problems. These included:

a) The strengthening of the Complaints Against

the Police Office (CAPO), the up-grading of its Commander and the introduction of UK Officer supervision.

b)

The monitoring of CAPO by the newly-created UMELCO Complaints Against the Police Committee chaired by Sir Sidney Gordon. I emphasised how active this Committee was and that it invariably conducted random checks on a proportion of police reports.

CONFIDENTIAL