ENG-1954 — Page 205

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

1954, presented the Police with the difficult task of organizing about 100,000 homeless fire victims on the streets, supervising feeding queues, keeping the fire sites clear, and assisting the Commissioner for Resettlement in the problems associated with the Government's resettlement schemes. In the last five months of the year the tension caused by a dispute between the management and some of the employees of the Hong Kong Tramways Company imposed a heavy responsi- bility on the Police Force in their task of maintaining law and order throughout the Colony.

In September the Police occupied the newly com- pleted six-storeyed headquarters building which now houses the administrative offices, Special Branch, Criminal Investigation Department, Immigration Office, Accounts Office, Radio Control Room and the main armoury.

Strength-By the end of the year the Force had reached a strength of 5,281, an increase of 87 during the year. It consisted of 49 gazetted officers and 444 inspectors of different grades of whom 288 were expatriate. The rank and file comprised 565 Northern Chinese, 178 Pakistanis and 3,974 Cantonese. There were 2 woman inspectors and 69 woman N.C.O.'s and constables. The Force was relieved of all but strictly Police duties by a civilian staff of 824.

Organization-This consists of the Headquarters and two main branches, the Uniform Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department.

The Uniform Branch operates throughout the Colony and is divided into two territorial districts and the Marine and Traffic Divisions. The Marine Division

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