260
boundary, on the 14th of May, at Tai Ó on the 18th and at Yung Shui Wan, in Lamma Island, on the 30th of the same month; at Au T'an, near Un Long, on the 3rd, and nt Tung Chung, in the Island of Lantao, on the 24th of June; at Kat Ó, in Mirs Bay, on the 14th; at Starling Inlet at the 24th of October and at San Tin on the 14th of December.
Want of suitable accommodation and of European officers to take charge pre- vented the opening of a station at Sai Kung and of another at Ts'ün Wan, both of which are required to complete the policing of the territory.
Two steam launches were chartered for the purpose of patrolling the waters of the New Territory and visiting the numerous islands, and these began their work as soon as the territory was occupied. A steam pinnace, formerly used for police work in the Harbour, was also sent to Táipó to patrol from thence the waters of Mirs Bay.
To man the stations and launches mentioned 75 Indian Police, 39 Chinese Police with 4 coxswains, 4 engineers, 4 stokers, and 8 Interpreters were enlisted in excess of the Estimates for the year, while 24 men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers were, by the kind permission of His Excellency the General Officer Cominanding, enrolled as special constables and utilised partly to assist the European Police Officers in the New Territory and partly to replace those officers in Hongkong.
Fifty more Indian recruits were obtained from India at the close of the year for the further stations that will be required and to release the men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers serving with the Police.
The efforts of the Police were from the first entirely directed to the preven- tion and detection of crime, to learning the country, and to cultivating friendly relations with the inhabitants.
The first case that demanded investigation was the murder of the man Tang Cheung on the night of the 16th of April.
Two persons, one an elder of the village of Ha Ts'ün, were brought to justice and hanged for this murder. Two other men had been murdered at the same time and by the same party as murdered Tang Cheung. Au elder of the village of Un Long, his nephew, and a third person were indicted, convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of one of the two men. The nephew of the elder mentioned was pardoned, and the sentences on the elder and the third prisoner were commuted to imprisonment for life and ten years' with hard labour respectively. These convictions had a wholesome effect upon the population, especially as two of the culprits belonged to the local gentry.
It was found that robberies by night by gangs of armed Chinese principally from Chinese territory were very frequent, and no fewer that 27 cases of this description occurred during the first five months of the administration of the territory.
Twenty-five persons were arrested in respect of these robberies, of whom 18 were convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
The Triad Society was also found to be very active, and steps were taken to suppress it.
One leader of the Society was arrested in possession of insignia and documents of the Society and was convicted and sent to prison. Another prominent member suffered the saine fate, while two more leaders were arrested, convicted of robbery and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
During the last quarter of the year there has been a marked decrease in robbery and other crime in the territory, the result being due partly, no doubt, to the arrests and convictions above referred to, and partly to the system of patrols especially at night which the gradual opening of the required stations has rendered possible.
The Police have also been utilised in various ways in obtaining information
on various matters.
The territory as a whole has been found exceedingly malarious, and the Police of all nationalities suffered severely from fever.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.