Some of them petty, many of them dangerous - kidnapping, murder, and espionage covert ops were commonplace. Chinese as well as all foreigners without extra-territorial rights were brought before a Chinese court.ĭue to the unique composition and locale of Shanghai, the city was thriving with criminals of all sorts and descriptions (also see The Green Gang, below). In an interesting twist, there was not "the law" for the SMP to uphold treaty agreements between China and the 14 "favored nations" assured a judicial system known as "extra-territoriality." That is, an accused citizen of a favored nation (Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.S.) had to be brought before a consular judge of his own country. However, the majority of the upper ranks were British, and most of the foot constables were Chinese. In no way was the SMP's composition representative of the Settlement's citizens, but it was a very international force among its ranks were Chinese, Englishmen, Irishmen, Japanese, Russians, Scotsmen, Sikhs, and a sprinkling of Americans, Australians, Austrians, Germans, Swedes, and others. Throughout that time, its strength rose to a peak of 6,000 active officers during the 1930s, many of them Westerners with either a bent for adventure or problems at home - Americans, Irishmen, Central European Jews and "White" Russians were prominent among the expatriates in the city. Founded in 1854, it enforced the law in that part of the city until 1943. The Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) was the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the mainly British-run International Settlement. Some 90% of their inhabitants were Chinese, who had little rights, however.
Together, the French Concession (close to 480,000 inhabitants) and the International Settlement (more than a million inhabitants) occupied 12.66 square miles.
The larger, which contained the British, American, and most other consulates, was the International Settlement (pp.
The smaller of the two Western-administered enclaves was the French Concession, backed up by a large French military force and effectively a French colony. Prior to WWII, Shanghai was divided into three districts, only one of them Chinese-administered. "Omnia Juncta In Uno (All joined as one)" Much of the information will also be interesting for Call of Cthulhu, Feng Shui, and Indiana Jones campaigns set in the 1920s and 1930s. It is also a uniquely colorful background for Martial Arts. Complete details on his Defendu martial art and the SMP's Red Maria armored buses are provided for GURPS, giving additional flavor to a Cliffhangers or WWII campaign or allowing a Cops or SWAT campaign with a spin. This article details the composition, training, and equipment of that force, along with its most famous officer, Assistant Commissioner William Fairbairn. Enter the officers of law and order: the Shanghai Municipal Police. Unfortunately, it also was an extremely dangerous place. Whether following the steps of Jack Brady to foil the plans of the Order of the Bloated Woman to open the Great Gate for the Mythos in 1926, whether visiting the Blue Lotus during the 1932 Sino-Japanese "Shanghai incident," or in hot pursuit of "fortune and glory" in 1935's Club Obi-Wan, characters will find Shanghai an extremely interesting place to stay between the wars. "The International Settlement is policed by a British-officered force that is one of the toughest in the world." The Shanghai Municipal Police by Hans-Christian Vortisch
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