Crime and its control in Hong Kong

Abstract

Hong Kong’s transformation from clusters of fishing villages into an icon of capitalism is truly remarkable. As a former British colony, Hong Kong’s successful story stemmed from the colonial government’s non-intervention in the economic sector. Before the mid-1970s, particularism, use of personal relation and paying for convenience, was folklore in Hong Kong, paving the way for corruption to flourish in every corner of the society. Hong Kong was the capital of triad societies, and triad activities were rampant. It was noted by a police commissioner in 1960 that one in every six Hong Kong citizens among the three million populations was a triad member. Facilitated by a corrupt police force, triad organized crime was rampant in the 1960s-1970s. The colonial police force was established along the lines of the classic colonial paramilitary model, which applied quasi-military training and organizational structure to achieve the function of social control.