VIBErations Episode 15 - Pat Lawrence

VIBErations podcast Episode 15. Pat Lawrence - Colonial ex-Hong Kong Policeman interviewed at VIBE Book & Music Shop in Mui Wo, Lantau Island, HK on 20th Jan 2021.

Pat joined the RHKP in July 1974 and worked in a variety of policing work and locations for more than 20 years .,until June 1997. Born in Ireland in 1948 ,but growing up in England , Pat travelled the world as a child being the son of a military family . Prior to coming to HK and joint the RHKP, Pat served six and a half years in the British police . In HK , Lawrence’s duty posts ranged from initially uniform branch to in the main CID for the rest of his service .

Following his initial spell at Central Police division in March 1975,following his graduation from Police Training School he served in the Commercial crime bureau ,and than from 1980 on in Kowloon region posted to CID and served as a senior inspector ,chief inspector and superintendent in districts as diverse as Wong tai sin, Yaumati , Mongkok and Kowloon city. In Yaumati in the early eighties triad crime , armed robberies on jewellery /goldsmith shops and triad ‘assassinations ‘ were commonplace . However, a brief interlude in his CID postings came in 1987 when he was given the command of the Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay police divisions for a year ,thus experiencing a totally different style of Police work and indeed work more akin to a country copper albeit the one in charge .......during this time a great many expats lived in his area and indeed most of those were Cathay Pacific pilots , the area also contained a large Vietnamese refugee camp ,a prison and countless villages ,where matters were often settled internally and where policing was often looked upon with a lot of suspicion .

After a return to CID in 1989 he eventually was posted in 1992 to the security wing of the old RHKP Special branch , where work entailed international liaison and travel in SE Asia Pat served there till his retirement in 1997. After leaving the RHKP, Pat returned to London (his wife was working for British airways from there) but in 1998 returned to Asia with a international security company to work in Brunei , on matters pertaining to the royal family there .

Pat and his wife have returned to HK annually for extended visits and often to live and indeed ,now his wife has retired are planning to return to live permanently once more . Pat has always kept himself fit and is a keen hiker ,swimmer and poor golfer!.........on the hiking front whilst in HK and after , he and a group of fellow HK police officers walked the whole of the South West Way in England , a distance of 1000km.....over the course of several summers. Despite being 72 now he prides himself on keeping fit and active ,not only excercising but travelling extensively worldwide . Pat is married and has a daughter and grandson who live in San Francisco.

10 Questions….

1. Favourite book or author? - 'Myself a Mandarin' by Austin Coates

2. Favourite musical artist? - The Who

3. Preferred drink? - HK San Miguel - Brown bottle

4. Life motto? - You're a long time in the box

5. Favourite hk walk? - North East New Territories around Double Haven

6. Favourite hk restaurant? - Cooked Food stalls

7. Faced with a python whilst walking up to the Peak – what would you do? - Stop look at it & let it go on its way

8. Best advice you were given? Get on with it

9. Finish this sentence… I live in Hong Kong because…It's safe & super efficient

10. Favourite area of Hong Kong? - Lantau Island