Hong Kong Policeman

Law, Life and Death on the Streets of Hong Kong: An English Police Inspector Tells It as It Was

In 1970 Hong Kong was the fastest expanding city in the world, a city that lived on three levels: the expatriates, nearly always British who lived in almost complete isolation; the vast mass of Chinese residents struggling to get by and improve their lot; and, finally, the criminal and corrupt underside which not only fought among itself, but also affected the lives of everyone else in the Crown Colony through fear and corruption. Fighting to hold this in check—and by and large succeeding—were the Hong Kong police force. At the officer level, many were British. Into this heady and dangerous mix steps a young Merseyside policeman, Chris Emmett. His account of those times brings vividly to life the crime, prostitution, drugs, triad street gangs, and corruption that was an important part of the fabric of Hong Kong of that time.