Page 388 - Bahrain Gov annual reports (V a)_Neat

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1932. In 1932 the British Police Officer retired .and from that time the Adviser became
Commandant of the Police, by the Ruler’s wish. A force of ex-Indian Army Punjabis was
enlisted at Lahore and the Indian detachment returned to Karachi. The Punjabis were not
altogether a success, from no fault of their own. The climate did not suit them and they
disliked being without their families. It was decided that local Arabs should be enlisted to
provide a police force. The transition from Punjabis to a police force of local men was com­
pleted in 1932. The men who enlisted were of fine physique and a good type, though many of
them were the descendants of slaves and some were manumitted slaves. They were the best
material that has ever been enlisted. Their pay was Rs. 25/- a month and there was no difficulty
in obtaining recruits. After some time the new police became an efficient, well-trained body.
As instructors they had some of the Punjabi N.C.O's who had been retained in Bahrain. They
possessed the advantage of knowing the country, the people and the language. In a year or two
a Camel Section was stalled and later a section mounted on Arab horses, provided by the Ruler.
A band was formed from sons and younger brothers of the policemen who were trained in fire
drill and, during the war, first-aid, though they never had to make’use of their knowledge.
At various times officers and N.C.O’s were sent to India for training in police and military
schools. The police carried out annual musketry courses, many of them being extremely good
shots. In competition with the Royal Navy they almost invariably won at shooting on the
range. Once or twice every year they did a route march, lasting several days, visiting most of
the villages in Bahrain which had a very good effect on the inhabitants.
1937. By degrees the buildings occupied by the police were improved. Over a course of
years the old fort was almost entirely rebuilt, married lines were constructed behind the fort and
a number of police stations were built in towns and villages. By 1937 the police force had been
increased to 235 N.C.O’s and men and 150 Naturs, but the recruitment of suitable men began
to be less easy owing to the development of the oil industry. Conditions in the country im­
proved, there was very little serious crime and raids and attacks on villages ceased. The
Bahrain Arabs were naturally law abiding. Since the time that records have been kept it has
been shown that the proportion of foreigners, Persians, Hasawis and Muscatis, who are respon­
sible for criminal acts, is far greater than the proportion of Bahrainis.
The long standing quarrel between Bahrain and Qatar became acute when the Naim tribe
who owed fealty to the Shaikh of Bahrain and who lived at Zabara, on the Qatar coast, which
used to be the ancestral home of the Khalifah, were attacked by the Arabs of the Shaikh of
Qatar. In the engagement there were casualties on both sides and some of the personal retainers
of the Shaikh of Bahrain were killed. The attack was made while the senior Bahrain Shaikhs
and the Adviser were returning by sea along the Qatar coast, after having met the Shaikh of
Qatar in one of his coastal villages in a friendly endeavour to come to a settlement about
Zabara. The fighting took place near the shore in view of the two launches carrying the
Bahrain Shaikh’s uncles and their party ; if it had not been impossible to approach the coast,
owing to rough weather, the party from Bahrain would have landed to support the Naim tribe.
These events increased the duties of the police. A permanent garrison was established in
the fort of Hawar on the largest of the group of 16 islands close to the coast of Qatar belonging to
Bahrain ; sea patrols were ordered off the Bahrain coast opposite Qatar, and there were camel
patrols on the west side of Bahrain which were intended to prevent people from Qatar* from
landing in Bahrain. At the same time the police provided guards at the refinery which came into
action in 1937.

In 1938 another 100 men were enlisted in order to provide a standing reserve of 200 men in
case of emergency. During Ramadhan there was some political unrest culminating in an
abortive strike of oil company workers and disturbances in Manama and Muharraq which
were promptly dealt with by the police. The report that highly paid work could be obtained in
Bahrain was an incentive to Arabs from other parts of the Gulf to enter the country. The
Police sea and shore patrols prevented the entry of many illegal immigrants. Foreign nakhudas
—boat captains—were in the habit of discharging their passengers (often there were women and
children among them) on the reefs and sand banks in sight of the shore. The boats then sailed
hurriedly away leaving the unfortunate passengers, who had paid heavily to be brought to
Bahrain, to fend for themselves. Often the immigrants could not swim and when the tide came
in many were drowned trying to reach the shore. The worst offenders were the Qatar nakhudas
who carried Persian immigrants who crossed from Persia to Oman and found their way up the
coast to Qatar.
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