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Combined Forces, Asian Investigative Unit DEAR SIR, Reference to the article on the successful raid of a counterfeit credit card factory in China where it started as an international law enforcement information sharing exercise, I wish to point out that it was the "Combined Forces, Asian Investigative Unit (CFAIU)" who initiated contact with CCB in the first instance. CFAIU is a joint forces unit comprising officers from Toronto Police Service (previously the Metropolitan Toronto Police Service), Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police Service, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. CFAIU has a long history of having continuous dialogue/exchange of criminal intelligence with the Hong Kong Police (mainly through CIB) and is appreciative of the assistance received all these years. Yours sincerely A P (Tong) Lee, (ex-RHKP SP) Strategic Intelligence Analyst Research & Analysis Section Intelligence Services Toronto Police Service

Booking a healthy lifestyle DEAR SIR, I would like to suggest that the booking system for Force sporting facilities be adjusted to give regular police officers more opportunity than they now have to indulge in a healthy lifestyle. I think the present system discriminates against regular officers to whom our healthy lifestyle initiative is primarily aimed. Currently sports facilities at the POC, PSRC and non-club venues such as PTS are booked on a "first-come, first-served" basis. In practice this means that staff who work office hours are on the phone the minute the counter is open. For those police officers working "C" shift or members of a Divisional Investigation Team, who cannot predict exactly when they will have time for sports, the booking opportunity is gone. May I propose that only regular police officers be given first choice of sports facilities and that other staff have their opportunity at a later time. Bookings should only be allowed to be made 24 hours in advance and regular police officers should be given that morning to make their bookings while other staff can make bookings from the afternoon onwards. [ name supplied ] REPLY . . . DEAR SIR, The Sports facilities in either POC or PSRC are open for use to the members of the respective clubs be they regular, auxiliary, civilian or retired officers. The current "first-come, first-served" booking system has been in existence for many years. It is the fairest system and has proven to be very effective. It does not draw any distinction between rank or status of members who book the facilities. It would not be fair to reserve morning bookings for regular officers only, exclusive of auxiliary, civilian or retired members. They are entitled to the same treatment. In both clubs, only principal members can make bookings by telephone or in person seven days in advance. I suggest your reader make good use of the advance booking system. Considering all factors, the "first-come, first-served" booking system will be maintained. I thank your reader for making the suggestion for our consideration. Yours sincerely Cheung Siu-wah Senior Superintendent Catering, Clubs, Sports & Recreation Personnel Services Branch

Traffic officers the "elite"? DEAR SIR, I read with great surprise and happiness the second public opinion survey prepared on the Hong Kong Police by MDR (Pacific) Ltd. The highest score given to any service provided by the police was the 68 per cent approval rating given to "regulating traffic and prosecuting illegal drivers". This would seem to confirm that Traffic officers are really the elite of the Force and deserve a collective pat on the back. Well done everyone. Inspector R M Forbes PSUC 2 E&C TKW

CRAZY CAPTION CONTEST "You caught me speeding, and I caught you with your fly undone. So we're even!" The above caption wins S T Tam, APRO Crime, Crime Wing HQ, a cash prize of $150. Congratulations Mr Tam, who also won due to the fact that his entry was one of the few our sense of propriety and decorum permitted us to publish. My, my . . . so many naughty minds out there. At any rate, watch this space next issue for another photograph begging for a caption. Remember: Winners should send OFFBEAT receipts with their names, UI and ID Numbers so that reimbursement can be made through their bank accounts. (Entry to the Crazy Caption Contest is open only to Hong Kong Police Force personnel - who are welcome to send OFFBEAT photographs they would like our readers to write a caption for).

OBITUARY Wallace Kinloch 1918-1998 The following obituary [ spotted by I F McNicol CIP EU NTS ] recently appeared in a Scottish newspaper written by Scottish parliamentarian Douglas Crawford . . . WALLACE KINLOCH, who was my election agent when I won the then parliamentary seat of Perth and East Perthshire in 1974 and who died recently at the age of 80, was quite a remarkable man, not only for the dedication, professionalism and almost military precision which he brought to that campaign, but he was also remarkable for many other things. His bravery was outstanding during his early career in the Scots Guards and subsequently in the Shanghai Municipal Police. An example of this bravery came in 1939 when he was on patrol in the Shanghai International Settlement and he came across a large group of Japanese police who had no right to be anywhere near there. He got out of his armoured car and told them to move off. As he returned to his car he was shot in the back but, despite this, he was able to swing round and spray the Japanese with a long burst from his Tommy gun, as a result of which the Japanese admiral of the fleet offshore put a reward on his head. He was, however, happily smuggled out of Shanghai. Matters did not rest there, for he proceeded to join the police in Hong Kong, only to be captured as a POW and interned between 1941 and 1945 in the colony there. After the war, he rejoined the Hong Kong Police, was subsequently transferred to Malaya as Assistant Superintendent, and thereafter his final police posting was as Commander of the Gambian Police Field Force between 1958 and 1966. He then went into business in Blairgowrie, but during the months of 1974 devoted his time almost entirely to the Scottish National Party.