TNAG-0817-FCO40-1023-Police-corruption-Independent-Commission-Against-Corruption--1978 — Page 99

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CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 382/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY MO. 51

7 MAY 1978

Mr Murra

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE

1.

DESK OFFICER

PA

REGISTRY

|Action Taten

INDEX

No.

One of the objects of my recent visit to Hong Kong was to discuss the plans for the reorganization of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and to get as much of an idea as possible of the temper of the Force. I am not, of course, a professional police officer nor could I make any deep assessment during such a short

visit.

2. I spent a whole day with the Commissioner and a group of his senior officers. I had a long discussion with Mr Crane, one of HM Inspectors of Constabulary presently on secondment to Hong Kong, and spoke at a series of meetings and luncheons to about 30 middle grade police officers, both Chinese and expatriate. I believe that these discussions were frank and not inhibited by problems of relative seniority.

3. I was, on the whole, relieved by what I saw of the temper of the Force. Morale has suffered severely during the past two or three years, firstly by the-perhaps-too rapid expansion of the Force but chiefly because of the universely felt opinion that they and they alone were being unjustly harrassed by the Indepen- dent Commission Against Corruption in which (in their opinion) unnecessarily exaggerated legal powers had been invested. "If our anti-corruption branch had one-quarter of the powers of

There is ICAC we would have solved the problem years ago". general dislike and distrust of the present Commissioner whom they believe has neither supported them in their relations with the rest of the Hong Kong Government nor gone to any trouble to get to know the feelings of the Force. I felt it worth pointing out that when the Commissioner had maintained their cause to the Governor or Executive Council, it would be quite improper for him to publish these accounts of his relationship with his superiors. The dislike and distrust was also extended in a

CONFIDENTIAL