Pg.78: Constabulary Duties

The community of former Hong Kong police officers now in retirement, and scattered around the world, share a common bond of pride in their profession and are in regular contact with each other via the internet and the Royal Hong Kong Police Association in London. The information they have contributed helped to date the scene on the left, which shows Shau Kei Wan Police Station in the 19th century.

Shau Kei Wan takes its name from the Chinese word for a colander, whose concave profile the bay was once said to resemble. It was subsequently named Aldrich Bay, after a British naval captain stationed there, and has now long been reclaimed. Local fishermen discovered that the bay provided a good shelter from typhoons and at the time of the first census in 1841 the head count stood at some 200 – roughly five percent of Hong Kong Island’s total population.

By 1860, piracy became a major concern, prompting Governor Sir Richard Macdonnell to crack down on crime and revitalise the area. Roads were laid and more stable accommodation built, together with a police station to help the authorities combat piracy.

Notes:

• The text and photo are copyright FormAsia, and appear on pages 78-9 of their new book, Once Upon A Time.
• The text is written by author Peter Moss.
• The photo shown above is a low-resolution copy. The book uses the high-resolution original, printed at 34 x 27 cm (13" x 10.5"). Here's an example of the detail:
  
  
  
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