CPSC – Leong Ka Tai Photography

Headquarters Block

Also known as the Red House or the Big Station, the Headquarters Block stood in front of the Parade Ground. The latter, open and majestic, was dearly named “daaidei” in Cantonese, which literally meant “the grand earth”. It was used for parking and was often packed with private cars belonging to officers holding the rank of or above Inspector of Police. After the 1967 Riots, however, it became exclusive to the Anti-riot Squad and the Tactical Unit.
The mango tree in the foreground is rumoured to be 100 years old, and that though it rarely flowers or bears fruit; when it does, calamity strikes, so that no one wished to see it happens. Many of the policemen interviewed in this project would recall the exquisite blooms in 1967.
On the decommissioning day of the Headquarters Block, a ceremony of Beating Retreat was held to mark the end of the building’s historical mission. Many were said to have shed tears.

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Main Entrance, Headquarters Block

Starting from the Hollywood Road level as the ground foor, this is the second foor.
“I went to the Red House for a promotion interview. The waxed foor inside the main entrance shone like a mirror. You could almost see every tooth in your mouth. I shook as I walked on it. My heart trembled and my mind went blank. I heard some officer was so nervous that he fainted at an interview,” an officer recalled his experience walking through the Main Entrance.
The Headquarters Block housed the offices of the senior officers as well as a club. Lower-ranking officers rarely came here save for dispatch of documents and promotion interviews. It was also the office of the Commissioner of Police before the new headquarters in Wanchai was built in 1952.

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The Barracks Block

The footbridges on the right provided primary access to the Sanitary Block, housing the bathroom of the police officers. Male officers once walked around in sandals and shorts, until the recruitment of female officers and complaints received from nearby residents prompted them to be more modest.
Barbers on the top foor kept their hair the regulation length, above the ears on the sides and above the collar at the back. Senior officers often requested to be served in their own offices.

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Sanitary Block

The police force used to be exclusively male. Presumably, there were sanitation facilities for women, but they could not meet the demand after female constables and officers were inducted into the force. This toilet, equipped for men, was hastily designated for use by women, without refitting.

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Armoury, Barrack Block

It was an honour to be appointed by one’s superior to assume responsibility for the Armoury as it signalled trust. However, the position was in fact rather dull and troublesome. The appointed officer was required to find a substitute officer whenever he needed to leave for meals or the washroom, and to conduct thorough hand over and inventory verification upon return. To avoid that, he would stay in as much as possible. In addition, the appointed officer had to report to work half an hour earlier to prepare all arms and ammunition required by the colleagues on the next shift.
The duty officer had numerous duties, including oiling the guns to prevent rusting, wiping them dry on rainy days, and recharging mobile radio batteries.

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Changing Room, Second Floor, Barracks Block

Looking at the changing room in the photo, spacious and bright with open doors, it was hard to imagine how a whole operation unit could ft into a changing room of such size. The truth is: a Tactical Unit typically contained over 40 members, an Emergency Unit over 60; besides, there were lockers, wooden benches and beds on both sides.
On adverse occasions, such as the 1967 Riots or when typhoon strikes, police officers had to stand by at the Barrack round the clock. Officers living faraway on outlying islands would report to work during typhoon signal No 3 to avoid suspension of ferry service. With only a few beds to share, it was not unusual for the officers to sleep on the foor, on rollout mats or even on top of the 6-foot-tall lockers.

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Ground Floor, East Wing, Barrack Block (Behind the Report Rooms)

This was a sparsely furnished detention cell with laxer security for temporary holding of suspects. For overnight detention, suspects would be brought to a standard detention room at the Water Front Police Station.
Under normal conditions, a suspect could not be detained for over 48 hours. If further detention was required for investigation, an officer must issue a charge sheet and officially charge the suspect, or bring the suspect before a magistrate.
To prevent suicidal attempts, detention cells were free of ropes/wires and woollen blankets. Socks were removed from all suspects and brassieres from female suspects to avoid them using the wires inside. Even the chain of the flush was placed outside the cell, and a suspect would require help from police officers to flush the toilet after each use.

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Canteen, Second Floor, Barrack Block

“While senior officers enjoyed western cuisine prepared by designated chefs at the Red House, lower-ranking officers had ordinary Chinese food in the canteen. We had only an hour for each meal to fill our stomachs, so we didn’t pay much attention to the quality,” a police officer recalled.
The canteen was outsourced, police officers ate quick rice dishes like those served at an average cha chaan teng. Despite the mediocre quality, staff from the Immigration Department and Correctional Services also came for budget meals. “The person-in-charge of the canteen at the time was called Sei Gaa Ze (literally “the fourth big sister” in Cantonese). She always wore qipao and lipstick. One of the employees was called Ah Lai. Students from nearby schools also came here.”

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Block B (right)

The two blocks were both quarters for expatriate inspectors. The wooden foor was carefully waxed until they shone, and western food would be delivered directly to the inspectors’ rooms. The quality of the room service was comparable to that in hotels. After expatriate senior officers moved away in the 1950s, Blocks B were converted into the female officers’ quarter.
The leaves and branches showing here belonged to a tree in the parking lot. However, it collapsed during a typhoon and was subsequently cut down after attempts to save it were in vain. The building on the right was Block B, which collapsed during renovation. This scene does not exist any more.

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Second Floor Corridor, Block B

There is a story about the female quarters. It is said that a female officer killed herself at the dormitory because of relationship problems. On the following evening, her roommate played mahjong with other colleagues on the corridor after work. As the roommate raised her head from the mahjong table, the dead friend was seen at the opposite staircase, beckoning at her.
It is quite probable that they were playing mahjong on this spot.

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Second Floor, Dormitory Block B

This staircase led to the female officers' quarters. A telephone was installed beside the staircase for the residents to contact their families. Noisy steps would be heard whenever someone rushed over the steps to take a call.
Men were strictly prohibited in this area.

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Road Leading to the Parking Lot

There were three big trees by the entrance of the parking lot. Some officers recalled:
“Tree in the middle wilted. In 2002, I saw a lingzhi mushroom in it. And a pair of parrots flew here every day at 10 a.m. to peck at the tree.”
“This is a giant tree. Its roots often caused damages to the wall beside it. Plastic stripes were attached to the wall to show us shifting of the roots. That’s why the road becomes narrower and narrower.”
After the decommissioning of the compound, the tree nearest the Reporting Room collapsed in typhoons between 2007 and 2009. Resuscitation was in vain and it was cut down, together with the other two. The shades in the photo will never be seen again.

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Main Gate, Hollywood Road

The main gate was always open at the compound. It was shut only during the 1967 Riots.
A police officer used to control the traffic lights at the end of this one-way slope, colloquially referred to as “driving the tram”. As preferences were often given to senior officers driving out of the parking lot, there were complaints about the sudden changes of the lights, forcing vehicles going up the slope to roll backwards, causing congestion on Hollywood Road.
A sensor was fitted to replace the manual work in 1976–1977. However, its low sensitivity caused the lights to remain constantly on red or green, especially in bad weather. Transducers were later installed on the ground to detect wheel pressure.

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Main Entrance on Arbuthnot Road, Central Magistracy

Built from 1912 to 1914, the Central Magistracy heard its first trial in 1915. The stone columns in classic Greek designs on the façade contribute to the stately impression of the edifice, which is connected with the Central Police Station on the basement level. The door at the centre of the pedestal beneath the columns was restricted to judges.

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Courtroom

The media and press sat in on a trial beside the French windows while the public had access to the seats in front of the wall, behind which stands the Central Police Headquarters Block. The courtyard beyond the windows has a stone staircase that leads to Arbuthnot Road. The open space is now occupied by a number of compressor units of the air-conditioning system.
The judge presided over a trial in front of the white wall at the centre of the photograph. Immediately in front of the judge sat a stenographer and an interpreter. Witnesses took the stand on the left side of the courtroom while the prosecutor and the defence lawyer sat in the central area. Behind the white wall lies Hollywood Road.

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Office near the Courtroom

A statue of Guangong continues to stand tall, watching over the empty space which was once an office of the police of rank and file and where he received daily tribute. The statue has not been relocated likely because no one knows what rituals to conduct so as to agree with those employed to consecrate the statue.

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The Footbridge

The footbridge links the Barrack Block to the Magistracy, allowing defendants to enter the latter for trial. The fanlight above the window is typical of western architecture. The spiderweb-like wooden bars remind one of the Chinese proverb: there is no escape from the web of law. It is said that the door frame was built to its height to allow passage by horses.

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Side Entrance of Central Magistracy facing Entrance of Victoria Prison

The rock carving bearing a crown on the lintel is emblematic of the British royal family and appeared on many colonial buildings in Hong Kong. Except those on declared monuments, all the other royal emblems have been removed since the handover of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. The royal crown can also be found above the door on Arbuthnot Road restricted to the judges.

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獄長樓

A door opens onto the correctional officers club at the rear of the building. Faint light behind the wall on the right of the corridor casts patterns on the opposite wall.
Common Room for Correctional Officers

Correctional officers probably took naps here in the bunk beds during lunch or night shift breaks.
Ground Floor, D Hall

Before the prison had power supply, it was lit by torches and oil lamps placed on the stone sconces on the wall. Looking at the photograph, one can imagine a night in the distant past: the flames on the wall sconces flickering, intermittently revealing the row of arches near the ceiling; the cold metal doors closing, sending loud clanks down the corridor.

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D倉二樓走廊

The space behind the door was once meant for a single prisoner. During the 1980–1990s, the prison became a transit and repatriation centre for the Vietnamese boat people. Four people packed a single room of poor hygiene and without a toilet en suite. With one already occupying the bed, the other three slept on the granite foor, which became freezing at night. A priest who worked in the prison remembered how he had never thought Hong Kong could be that cold.

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Corridor, First Floor, D Hall

The door on the left of the corridor leads to a washroom. In the 1980s, the prison started accommodating Vietnamese refugees. This was one of the two limited areas where children could play, with the other being the small courtyard outside. The two cartoon figures were drawn by illegal immigrants from Mainland China after the Vietnamese refugees left.

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Rear Room, E Hall

The Victoria Prison compound was built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time, automatic flushing systems for toilets had not been invented yet. Therefore, each prison cell was provided with two buckets, one for clean water, the other human waste. The inmates were responsible for cleaning the buckets in their own cells every morning. This photograph shows the only spot in the whole Victoria Prison that was connected to the city’s sewage system. The inmates queued up here every morning to discard their waste and to collect clean water.

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First Floor, D Hall

A Vietnamese refugee might have made the drawing on the wall. A number of graffiti drawings can be found on the prison walls, some of them of good quality.According to a priest who was a frequent visitor to the Victoria Prison between 1994 and 1996, many of the Vietnamese refugees were Catholics.

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Second Floor, D Hall

A psychiatric observation unit was established in 1961 in the prison to accommodate prisoners undergoing psychiatric examinations, observation or awaiting judiciary decisions. Replaced by the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre in 1972, the space was converted to a general clinic which also provided dental service once every two to three weeks. This area was kept spotless.
The space was repurposed again into a delivery room in the 1980s–1990s. Although all the pregnant refugees wished to give birth in a proper hospital, not all saw their hopes come true. Babies born in the centre could stay with their mothers but had no right to go to school.

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First Floor, C Hall

Built in the English style, the ceiling of the hall is clerestoried to allow ventilation through the crevices while blocking water seepage on rainy days. The metal mesh between the two floors was fitted to prevent prisoners from falling. The cells were built as single cells, but the square-shaped metal frame on each door held up to three to four names in the later days.

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Ground Floor, E Hall

Builtin 1915, E Hall follows the classical design of English prisons: a metal staircase stands in the middle of the hall with prison cells lining both sides; and rectangular openings near the ceiling allow air circulation. As leather shoes would produce great noises on the long metal staircase, provoking angry complaints or even curses from the prisoners, most of the officers would slip into their plimsolls when they were on duty. Fragile and quick to wear out, the plimsolls were nicknamed “one-week shoes”.

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Canteen, First Floor, B Hall

Prisoners queued up here to collect their meals. To ensure a fair deal for everyone, the prisoner assigned to serve meals could see only the hands of his/her fellows but not their faces through the small opening. Nonetheless, former prisoners said some would use hand signals to ask the server, with whom they had a deal, to give them bigger portions or better food.

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Staircase connecting D and C Halls

The staircase leads up to D Hall and down to C Hall. The wall on the right used to support the gallows. However, the gallows was later moved to Stanley Prison.
Morgue, D Hall

The bodies of the inmates who passed away in the prison were brought here to be cleaned before disposal. The groove at the centre of the stone bed allowed liquids to drain of during the cleaning process.

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Ground Floor, F Hall

The inmates were required to wear uniforms during their time behind bars. Their own clothing would be deposited in the room on the left and returned upon discharge. For security reasons, the toilet on the right had no doors so that the guards could keep an eye on the inside through the convex mirror.

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Exit of Prison

The door in blue was the exit prisoners took upon discharge. A saying went: prison life begins at the yellow door and ends at the blue one. It was a common belief among prisoners that they should never look back while leaving the prison, otherwise they will come back again.

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Chancery Lane

The granite wall of the Prison borders on Chancery Lane. The height has been augmented because the convicts used to receive “gifts” thrown over the wall. In the 1980s when the photographer lived in an apartment overlooking the Prison, there was an escape attempt. The unlucky prisoner scaled the wall and jumped down, only to break his legs and was easily captured.

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CURTAIN CALL

My photo-book on the former Central Police Station Compound Read more

The Central Police Station, the Central Magistrate Court, and the Victoria Prison, were built in the 19th Century. Together they formed a complete system for law enforcement. But as the facilities could not keep up with the growing population, new sites in Hong Kong were set up for better use of space. The buildings in the compound were declared heritage monuments in 1995.

Right after the buildings were decommissioned in 2006, I comprehensively photographed the compound. The site has now undergone extensive renovation and has been transformed into a cultural/commercial complex. The scenes depicted in his photographs cannot be found anymore. These photographs comprise a documentation of the compound in its original state.一

In addition to exploring all the nooks and crannies of the buildings, I also interviewed the policemen, correctional officers, and even an inmate, who spent their years there, thus compiling a record of the collective memory of the compound, and presenting it as captions to the photographs.

These photographs and captions have been published. It is not about mere facts and dates, but the feeling of working, living, and being incarcerated there.

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