'Wei Hai Wei' police officers remembered
The Mayor of the Weihai City (known as Wei Hai Wei before 1949) of Shandong Province, Mr Sun Shutao, earlier visited Hong Kong with a delegation and organised an event called "2010 Wei Hai Wei (Hong Kong) Police Friendly Gathering". Participating in this nostalgic event were representatives from the Hong Kong Public Security University Alumni Association and the Hong Kong Junior Police Officers' Association, as well as serving and retired police officers whose hometown is Weihai City.
The gathering was aimed at providing an opportunity for the participants to reminisce about the contributions Weihai people had made to the Force, with valuable historical pictures and memorabilia of the police officers of Weihai and Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Police's (HKP) 150-year history is filled with legendary stories, including a glorious chapter written by Wei Hai Wei police officers.
The former colonial government held Wei Hai Wei people in high regard for their loyalty, reliability and diligence. When sailors went on a massive strike in Hong Kong in 1922, the colonial government sent two European police officers to Wei Hai Wei in September that year to recruit the first batch of about 50 Wei Hai Wei men as police constables. After completing six months' training in Wei Hai Wei, the recruits were posted to Hong Kong to maintain law and order in March 1923.
The Wei Hai Wei policemen were known as the D Contingent in the HKP, having their own management style, and their service numbers were pre-fixed with letter "D" to differentiate them from the European "A", Indian "B" and Cantonese "C". At the time, the Wei Hai Wei policemen formed the backbone of the HKP and played an important role in maintaining law and order, as well as in fighting the Japanese during the Second World War. The D Contingent served the HKP until the end of 1950s when it was disbanded as more and more officers were recruited locally or from other parts of the Mainland.
To preserve historical information, Chief Superintendent (CSP) Richard Morgan, while working as a guest researcher of the Police Museum, conducted an in-depth study on the history of the Wei Hai Wei policemen in Hong Kong. His relevant historical information is being kept in the Police Museum.
CSP Morgan presented a report on his study at the gathering. At the same time, 79-year-old Mr Wu Chuanzhong, who migrated to Hong Kong from Weihai City in 1950 and had served the Force for 36 years, also spoke of the history of the Wei Hai Wei Police. His story bears witness to the contributions Weihai people of the last generation made to the HKP.
Meanwhile, the Weihai City Records Bureau is conducting a study on police history with the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme of the Lingnan University. Anyone who can assist in the study is requested to contact Superintendent (SP) Chi Pun-chung on 2860-4945, SP Chung Pui-sing on 2860-2642 or Chief Inspector Yeung Man-pun on 2860-3372.
Agreement
on
the
police
historical studies sealed
Mr
Wu
Chuanzhong
from
Weihai
City, who has served the Force for 36 years,
recounts the work of his former colleagues from the same city