History
The Hong Kong Police has been serving Hong Kong since shortly after the island was established as a colony in 1841. On 30 April 1841, 12 weeks after the British landed in Hong Kong, Captain Charles Elliot established a police force in the new colony. The first chief of police was Captain William Caine, who also served as the Chief Magistrate.
The 1950s saw the commencement of Hong Kong's 40 year rise to global eminence, during which time the Hong Kong Police tackled many issues that have challenged Hong Kong's stability. Between 1949 and 1989, Hong Kong experienced several huge waves of immigration from mainland China, most notably 1958–62. In the 1970s and 1980s, large numbers of Vietnamese boat people arrived in Hong Kong, posing challenges first for marine police, secondly for officers who manned the dozens of camps in the territory and lastly for those who had to repatriate them. The force was granted the Royal Charter in 1969 for their handling of the Hong Kong 1967 riots—renaming them: the Royal Hong Kong Police Force.
The recruitment of Europeans to the force ceased in 1994, and in 1995 the Hong Kong Police became responsible for patrolling the border with China. Prior to 1995, the British Army was responsible for border patrol. 1997 saw Britain's return of the sovereignty of Hong Kong to mainland China. The Force played a prominent role in the handover celebrations and continues to perform flag raising ceremonial duties to this day.
Read more about this topic: Hong Kong Police Force
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