Annual report on Sarawak.

Date:
[1950]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Sarawak. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    136/230 (page 88)
    There were also at the end of the year 17 Inspectors, 8 Sub-Inspectors and 994 NCOs and other ranks. The Force, including Gazetted Officers, was 161 below establishment at the end of the year which is an increase of 104 over the deficiency at the end of 1949. This is mainly due to an increase in the number of resignations. Many of the men are on three-year agreements arid are free to resign at the end of that period. The high wages at present available in the booming local industries discourage men from renewing their agreements. There has been a great drop in the number of men discharged for inefficiency. This may be accounted for by the fact that a higher standard of intelligence has been demanded from candidates for the Constabulary and this despite the shortage of material for enrolment. The racial composition of the Force Race. European Malay Sea Dayak (Iban) Land llayak Melanau Murut Dusun Ken vail t/ Kayan Sikh Punjabi Javanese Chinese Filipino was :• Percentage. 1.28 45 30 8 8 .29 .09 .29 .29 3 .09 1.18 2 .49 lew suitable candidates have been offering themselves for enlistment and those who did come forward during' the vear were mainly illiterate or phvsicallv below standard. Com- mercial firms pay much higher salaries than Government can afford, and the local rubber, pepper and sago industries hold out opportunities of higher profits. These circumstances explain the temporary unpopularity of the Constabulary as a career. It is hoped to remedy this situation bv new Con¬ stabulary Regulations which contain a revised salary scheme for all ranks from Inspectors to Recruits. New Schemes of Service for all ranks have also been compiled and submitted to Government.