Colonial Police and the Use of Rifle Fire
| Published date | 01 April 1946 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4601900209 |
| Author | A. I. Sheringham |
| Date | 01 April 1946 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
13+
THE
POLICE
JOURNAL
The
Home Secretary, Mr. Chuter Ede, in paying the Police Service a
handsome compliment, referred to
the
civilian status of its members as
follows:-
"Their
rule is accepted because they are recognised as
civilians discharging a highly specialised duty of civilian citizenship."
Later in the debate which followed Major Wells (M.P. for Walsall), in
amaiden speech which showed deep understanding of police require-
ments, said,
"In
this matter it is quite obvious, and I think it is
absolutely common ground between the two sides of
the
House,
that
what we need is to keep a wise balance between
the
two desiderata,
local knowledge and a sense of national responsibility."
In
these two short extracts we find four of the fundamental prin-
ciples of our British Police Service
:-civilians-highly
specialised
duty-local
knowledge-national responsibility.
It
remains then for us policemen to accept with good grace the
Parliamentary decision and to show
that
in this new police era, by taking
advantage of all
that
is best in amalgamation, we can, while maintaining
our civilian status, carry out with improved technique
our
highly
specialised duty, retain our local knowledge, and advance
our
sense of
national responsibility.
Colonial
Police
and
the
Use
of
Rifle
Fire
By
LIEUT.-COLONEL
A. I.
SHERINGHAM
Commissioner
of Police,
Uganda
THE Colonial police forces of East and West Africa, Ceylon and
the
Far
East (or those that were in the
Far
East) are armed with
rifles.
This
must necessarily be so because the Police are responsible
for the protection of life and property to the utmost of their resources,
until the situation becomes beyond these resources and control and
it is found necessary to call upon military forces to assist and restore
the situation.
In
many cases such military assistance may not be immediately
available, or not available for some considerable time, and in most
cases of civil disturbance involving
hurt
to the person or persons or
serious damage to property, immediate strong action by a small force
of Police on the spot will probably have the desired effect and frustrate
any spread of the lawless conduct.
It
is advisable, too,
that
where the
local Police are armed, the initial action should be taken by them in
dispersing riotous assemblies or protecting life and property if recourse
to rifle fire is necessary, rather than by military force.
It
is therefore very necessary that Colonial police forces, armed
with rifles, should be very strictly trained in the method 'of use of rifle
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