Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/274

 POLICE, PRISONS, AND FIRE BRIGADE.

By Captain F. W. Lyons, Acting Captain-Superintendent of Police, Hongkong.

[HE earliest allusion to the Hongkong police is to be found in Mr. Tarrant's " Early History of Hongkong." and relates to an incident which occurred in December, 1842, when a Mr. Fearon having hoisted a flag on a marine lot to which claim was also laid by the Admiral on behalf of the Government. "' The Land Officer went to the place with some policemen and hauled the flag down." The next reference (in the same year) is to the European police suffer- ing much from malarial fever, which was attributed to their night duty, as they always reported themselves sick in the morning. There were at that time nearly thirty European constables, and their efforts were supplemented by those of watchmen, em- ploved by European householders and by the leading commercial houses. One firm, that of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., employed twelve of these watchmen at a cost of £60 a month. The watchmen signified their alertness by beating bamboo drums, but as this was not conducive to peace and quiet- ness at night the practice was put a stop to by an ordinance. The result of this prohibi- tion, however, was said to be an increase in crime. Armed burglars made several entries into the houses of merchants during 1843, and even Government House was invaded, whilst piracies and daylight robberies were of frequent occurrence. A slight check was imposed on the marauders by an enactment that all Chinese abroad after dark should carry lanterns. In 1844 Captain Haly, of the Madras Native Infantry, was appointed Superinten- dent of Police, evidently in addition to his military command, for it is recorded that when he was required with his regiment. Captain Bruce, of the Royal Irish Regiment, acted for him in the civil capacity. In the same year it was decided that a properly constituted police force .should be organised. On July 3rd the Colonial Secretary issued a circuUr to the principal merchants on the subject, inviting their suggestions, and point- ing out that the chief difficulty was to find a class of men suitable for street work, as the exposure proved fatal to the British. The result was the appointment of Mr. C. May, an inspecior of K Division of the Metropolitan Police, to the command of the force, at a salary of ;f50o a year, with two Serjeants at ;£r250 a year each. Instructions were given that the force should be raised from the military and marines in China, that good pay should be offered, and that any man who misconducted himself should be sent back to the ranks of any regiment in Hongkong. Accordingly a force of 78 Europeans, 34 Indians, and 48 Chinese was formed upon the model of the Royal Irish Constabulary and dressed in uniforms of riHe-green, which led to their being dubbed '■ the greencoats " by the Chinese. Whether these numbers included the harbour police is not apparent ; presumably they did not, for the latter were placed under the Chinese Revenue Service, in accordance with a clause in a Treaty. Crime, however, showed no appreciable abatement, for the reason, as stated by Dr. Eitel in his " Europe in China," that " Sir J. Davis found himself handicapped in his efforts to suppress crime (like every successive Governor of Hongkong) by the constant influx of criminals from the mainland." In anotlier passage the rev. gentleman observes : " The failure of the police to prevent crime was unavoidable, as the extraordinary activity of Chinese criminals was the natural corollary of the Taiping and Triad Rebellions, and as the police force was deficient in numerical strength from financial considerations." Sir J. Bonham organised a detective depart- ment in 1848, and placed in charge of it Mr. D. R. Caldwell, as assistant superintendent ; but the police force itself had been seriously reduced in numbers — whether as a result of economy or from casualties is not clear. It comprised only 134 men, and contained 48 Europeans less than in 1844. while the whole personnel of the force was unsuitable. The Europeans had no previous police experience, and left discipline behind when they left their regiments ; the Indians from Bombay and Madras were not of the proper stamp ; and the Chinese, taken from among the lowest classes, were underpaid. Some advance was made in 1850 and in the next three years, for during that period less serious crime was connnitted. With the completion of the Central and West Point Police Stations in 1857 still more progress was made, and in the following year the Governor, Sir J. Bowring, expressed the opinion that the appearance, discipline, and gerieral efficiency of the force had greatly improved. In 1859 a station was built at Stanley, and in the following year another was opened at Shaukiwan, Two others were built in 1862. Hitherto the Indian constables had been obtained from the native regiments, but in 1861 or 1862 the Superintendent. Captain W. Quin, who had served in the Army and in the Bombay police, resolved to try Bombay and Madras as recruiting grounds. By 1865 the strength of the Hongkong force had been raised to 610, including 76 Europeans, 369 Indians, and 16^ Chinese. The Administrator, tlie Hon. Mr. V. T. Mercer, reported that the Indian contingent had proved a failure, hut this was denied by the Superintendent, who pleaded that they had not been given a fair trial, and at the same time condemned the proposal to employ Chinese police. In 1867, Sir R. MacDonnell assured the Secretary of State that he had not seen in any colony a body of men so ineffective. In 1869 district watclnnen were employed, and although, as a con.sequence. an unfortunate friction resulted between the Captain-Superintendent and the Registrar-General, the men were found to be very useful, and to this day district watchmen are employed as auxiliaries. In the meantime the Indians in the police force were replaced by men from the Punjaub, and a police school was established. Public dissatisfaction with the police eventually resulted in the appoint- ment of a Connnission of Inquiry, which sat in 1872, and recommended the payment of higher wages, the formation of a detective staff, and the provision of facilities for Euro- peans and Indians to learn Chinese. In 1873 the office of Assistant Superinten- dent was abolished, and replaced by that of Chief Inspector, and a station was huilt at Yaumati. The growing efficiency of the Chinese constables was noticed at this time, and they were given credit by the Captain- Superintendent for arrests that could not have been achieved by Europeans or Indians. Their latent possibilities were again shown in 1886, when ;f 1,000 in gold coins was recovered by the smartness and perseverance of a Chinese detective. In 1877 and 1878 there was again a marked increase in crime, and life and property were