Description
Duncan William MacIntosh became Commissioner of Police in 1946, shouldering the important responsibility for rebuilding the Force after World War II.
After the Japanese surrender, the Hong Kong Police Force was in dire straits. At the time, many police stations had been severely damaged in the war. The Force had no more than 2,000 officers at its disposal, not to mention that many of them had been tortured in Japanese concentration camps and were in poor health.
MacIntosh unleashed huge reforms to the Force by improving officers’ equipment, increasing their welfare benefits, and implementing large-scale training. All these changes aimed to strive for excellence and laid the foundations for a modern police force in Hong Kong.
During his tenure, MacIntosh recruited new officers, procured advanced equipment, police vehicles and motorcycles, founded the Criminal Records Office (now known as the Criminal Records Bureau), the Ballistic Office (now known as the Forensic Firearms Examination Division), the Photographic Section, Forensic Laboratory, etc. He also established the Police Training School at Wong Chuk Hang in 1948 to provide quality training for recruit police officers.
MacIntosh implemented enormous projects to expand police quarters too. In 1951, the Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road and subsequent quarters were built not just for expatriate officers, but also for rank-and-file Chinese officers and their families. The first intake of female officers was recruited in the same year. MacIntosh opened the new Police Headquarters on Arsenal Street, Wan Chai in 1952. MacIntosh retired and left Hong Kong in 1953. The exhibits were donated by Mr. MacIntosh’s widow to the Police Museum in 1987 for its permanent collection.
