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RE-ORGANISATION THE HONG- KONG POLICE FORCE.
The Hongkong Police Force is to be re- organised, and in view of recent events the public may perhaps be inclined to say none too early. Before passing a hasty judgment, however, it may be well to give a glance at Prior to 1862 the history of the Force. complaints of the corruption and inefficiency of the police were frequent and well founded,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
matter of doubt. WITCHELL is the only man against whom it has been found possi- ble to adduce legal proof, but the whole Force rests under suspicion, though perhaps that suspicion has been needlessly exag- | gerated by the air of mystery and secrecy thrown over the matter by the Government. Whatever the extent of the corruption, however, we believe it is largely due to the influence of the Chinese contingent.
In the minute covering the appoint-
[September 23, 1897.
vernment has no right to incur expen- diture without legislative sanction, and seeing how small public rights are in this colony it is the more important that the un- official members should not tolerate any in- fringement of them.
IRREGULAR FINANCE,
as could not fail to be the case under its ment of the 1872 Commission Sir RICHARD/ which appears in the China Mail.
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A peculiar side light is thrown on the methods of the Government by a paragraph The paragraph professes to have been written after inquiry and therefore may be re- Amongst garded as officially inspired. other statements contained therein is one to the effect that the Government intends to use for one purpose money that has been voted for another, a vicious system of finance which can have no sanction from Down- ing Street and must be reprobated by the taxpayers. The public in Hongkong has few rights, but it certainly has a right to expect that the financial business of the Government shall be conducted in a When the Gov- straightforward manner. ernment wants money it always has the official vote at its disposal in order to ob- tain it, and it cannot have even the excuse of expediency for using money for purposes other than those for which it was voted. We quote the statements of our contempor- any in full:-"On inquiry we learn that the Government has received no informa- "tion regarding the appointment of an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary, though application has been made for "such an officer, who will act in the place of Mr. BADELEY during his "absence on leave. With reference to
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GRAVES MACDONNELL wrote: On look "ing over the various despatches and "the correspondence which has taken place "relative to Police matters and crime dur- ing my absence on leave since April of "last year, it appears to me that there has "been so much misapprehension and so "much misrepresentation of many facts connected with the Police and the state "of crime in the Colony as to make it very "desirable to appoint a Commission, which might examine all necessary witnesses and "consider the papers and correspondence "connected with a subject which seriously "affects all classes of the community. Such a commission, if painstaking, and con- "stituted of men in whom the public has "confidence, ought to be most useful directly and indirectly." We should say that also at the present time a Commission constituted of men in whom the public has confidence would be most useful, directly and indirectly. Under the present ad- ministration, however, not much regard is paid to public opinion, and the Colonial Secretary's estimate of the European com- munity was very frankly stated in con- nection with the petition for a reform of the constitution. It is held that the public has no right to concern itself with public affairs, from which also it may be inferred that it has no right to concern itself with the honesty or efficiency of the police. Some reform in the Force is, however, deemed necessary, and an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary has been seconded to assist in bringing it about. The officer in question may be able to give very good advice, and if a commission had been appointed perhaps it could not have done better than recommend the course that has actually been adopted, but we think nevertheless that exception is to be taken to the manner in which the Government has gone about the business. It is stated that the Irish Constabulary officer's services were indented for before the arose, and when, presumably, there was no apparent necessity for unusual haste in the matter. In that case is there any reason why the Government should not have gone to the Legislative Council and asked for the necessary vote before the ex- penditure was incurred, instead of spending the money first and asking the Council to vote it afterwards? It is true that when a certain course has been decided upon by the Government the opinion of the Legislat Council does not count for much, because the Government can always carry its point by the official majority, but that very fact ought to make the Govern- ment the more punctilions in following strictly the procedure laid down in the Colonial Office Regulations and submitting all expenditure to the Legislative Council before it is incurred, thus affording the un- official members an opportunity of express- ing their opinion, even if they cannot by their vote influence the ultimate result. As a matter of principle we hope that when the vote for Inspector Howe's passage and emoluments comes the Legislative Council the members will vote against it.
then organisation, or absence of organisation. In the year just mentioned Sir HERCULES ROBINSON, the then Governor, introduced an Ordinance for repealing the Police Or- dinance of 1844 and substituting another, and in doing so said it was proposed to raise the numbers, increase the pay, and better the position, comforts, and pensions of the Police Force; that from a very interesting communication on the police service he had received from Mr. CHARLES MAY, the then Superintendent, he found that the average service of a European in the police was only three months, and those who did join were principally discharged soldiers and sailors; that by the new regula- tions all grades below the rank of Captain and Assistant Superintendent would have to give a guarantee for five years and at the end of that term would be entitled to a free passage to the port of enlistment, if enlisted out of the colony, or to three months' pay; and if he agreed to serve au- other five years, that in addition to the above emoluments he would receive such pension, according to his grade, as might hereafter be decided; upon and that he (the Governor) thought by these means a much better class of men would be induced to enter the Police Force than it then contained. These expectations were fulfilled and the Police Force was in a short time raised to a respectable standard. The present Police Force Consolidation Ordinance, No. 14 of 1887, was not a revolutionary measure, but merely con- solidated the Ordinance of 1862 and the supplementary Ordinances that had been passed from time to time to provide for various matters of detail as they arose. No radical change has been introduced in the service since 1862, and since that time it may be said that the Force has on the whole commandeul public confidence, though it has at times been subjected to severe criticism and Commissions were appointed to inquire It has, into its working in 1872 and 1879. however, always had one weak element, namely, the Chinese contingent. In giving evidence before the 1872 Commis- sion Mr. CHARLES MAY said:-"I made no provision in the Ordinance of 1862 for "Chinese constables, as I considered them "utterly untrustworthy. They are useless Chinese "physically and morally. "should only be used as boatmen and inter- preters. I would disband all the present Chinese force. I would not have a single "Chinese on a beat. If you have one-third "of the Force Chinese you have one-third "untrustworthy. The moral effect of a policemen is very much reduced when he is a Chinese. I look upon Chinamen as a most dangerous element, though I would not say their pay is wholly thrown away. "No Chinaman ever gets power without "making it solely a source of profit." Not only is the Chinese contingent objectionable because of its own inefficiency and presumed corruption, but also because there is good reason to believe it is a source of con- tamination to the other contingents, or it at least brings suspicion upon them. How far the European members of the Force have been affected by the bribery re- cently brought to light must ever remain a'
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the statement in the Daily Press of this 'morning that a new appointment has been "made without getting a money vote, we vote will be "would point out that no
when this officer has been necessary appointed, as there is lapsing pay available "to cover his salary." As Mr. BADELEY'S appointment is already filled by a locum tenens in the person of Mr. MACKIE w do Even assuming, however, not very well see how there can be any pay lapsing. that half the pay of the office was lapsing cover the cost of bringing out District that would be very far from sufficient to If the lapsed pay re- Inspector HOWE. ferred to is that of the dismissed Inspectors, When the it is not available and cannot properly vote for the pay of be used for any such purpose. legislature passed a so many Inspectors, Sergeants, and Con- to pay an officer to be specially brought stables it did not vote the money in order out from home to reorganise the Police Force.
The appointment is a new and special one and, if it is made, must be covered by a special vote. Having explained how the salary of the reorganising police official is to be met, our contemporary goes on to say "It is a pity a little more 'judgment is not exercised in certain quar- "ters in regard to this unfortunate police "affair, for there is very scant sympathy
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amongst the general public with the diffi- "culties that are being placed in the way of "the Government's investigations. If the "Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD were well ad- "vised he would refrain from any action likely to hinder justice and hamper the investigations of the Government." So far nothing has been heard of any difficulties being placed in the way of the Govern ment's investigations. As to the advice before "from any action likely to hinder justice tendered to Mr. WHITEHEAD to "refrain unofficial "and hamper the investigations of the The Go-"Government," if the reference is to the
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