CONFIDENTIAL
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those who are not to be prosecuted. He pointed out that, by definition, those who are to be tried are those believed to be most culpable. But there is always the possibility that they will be acquitted. It would then be difficult to proceed against them under Colonial Regulations (because of CR 64). While this situation persists, he felt it would be wrong to take action under eith CR 59 or CR 55 against those who were not to be prosecuted. He believed therefore that in the end only those who were found guilty in a court of law would suffer at all.
6. This opinion was not shared by the Political Adviser or (according to Dr Wilson) by the Secretary for Security, whose present intention is to take CR 55/59 action against all the remaining suspects at the same time as the charges are brought in the courts. I put this difference of opinion on record mainly as an indication of the sort of disagreements that exist within the Hong Kong Government over the way the Yaumatei case is to be handled. These disagreements are contributing to the continuing delay in dealing with the case, which is one of the major causes of uncertainty in Hong Kong at the moment.
7. The other unresolved question concerning the police is the role that the JPOA is to play. There is some cautious optimism over the results of the elections next month: it looks as if there are at least as many relative moderates on the executive committee as there are extremists. Again, the Yaumatei case may prove crucial. If the JPOA throw all their weight behind the interdicted men in that case this will be seen as an indication that the extremists have come out on top, and there must be a distinct possibility of further trouble in future. If instead the JPOA decide to concentrate on achieving genuine improvements in conditions of service for their membership as a whole, then the prospects will be better.
8. I did not get much impression of how the Crane mission was progressing (except that the policemen I met seemed antagonistic towards the mission: they still seemed to believe that they were really the world's finest police force and that it was a bloody cheek for anybody to come and suggest otherwise). There was a general feeling that changes would in any case happen at the top, but that the real weakness was in the middle ranks. This was certainly borne out by the people I met in the Inspectors mess at North Point Police Station a very second rate bunch.
9. A new problem that has arisen for the Government as a result of the success of ICAC in putting a stop to corruption within the police is the growing amount of indebtedness within the police force, as members of it find it increasingly difficult to meet commitments entered into at a time when their incomes were some- what higher. This, of course, exposes them to all sorts of undesirable pressures. It seems likely therefore that the Government will end up having to make loans to their own previously corrupt staff to enable them to continue to enjoy the fruits of their previous corruption!
r
6 March 1978
W.E. Chantill
W E Quantrill
Hong Kong & General Dept
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