Description
In the early days of Hong Kong, like in many parts of China, the roads were mainly used by horse-drawn carriages, ox carts and sedan chairs. Imported rickshaws began to appear on Hong Kong Island in 1880, and trams were introduced on Hong Kong Island in 1904, causing changes to land transportation.
The Traffic Division of the Force was founded in 1914 in the then Police Headquarters (later known as the Central Police Station, and the revitalised “Tai Kwun” nowadays). Initially, a European inspector led one Chinese and four Indian police officers in the first cohort of traffic police.
In the early days, roads in Hong Kong were narrow. In the New Territories only small roads in the middle of farmland were available. Some roads in the city were packed with pedestrians, so the best form of transport for traffic police was the motorcycle. In the late 1920s, most police districts had a motorcycle ready for use by traffic police.
After World War II, the motorcycle with a sidecar was introduced to the Force from Britain. This type of motorcycle was in fact a tricycle with a bucket seat attached to the side, commonly known as a “gondola”, for carrying passengers. In those days, these tricycles were mainly used to transport senior police officers on their official duties.
At that time, Staff Sergeants (equivalent to the present-day Station Sergeants) often rode these “gondolas” on patrol, which was very impressive in the eyes of the public. The motorcycle with sidecar continued to serve the Force until the 1970s, when it was gradually replaced by other vehicles.
