Wrong Place, Right Time: Policing the End of Empire

This book throws a penetrating light on the role of the police services, especially in Africa during times of political turbulence and international crisis. Michael Macoun was posted on arrival in Tanganyika to Special Branch, and, with his German language background, was involved from the outset in an in-depth enquiry into the scale of Nazi penetration of the German expatriate community which outnumbered the British non-official element at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. This involved internment of most of the adult male German population. At the same time, a number of ex-German askaris from the First World War, who were known to be Nazi sympathisers, were "rusticated" to remote areas of the country under supervision. During the War, Macoun was seconded to the Combined Services Security Bureau in the East African High Commissioner's Office in Nairobi, Kenya. Post war, as Superintendent of Police, Dar es Salaam, he had to cope with civil and industrial unrest linked with the demobilisation of thousands of unemployed African ex-Servicemen. Later he was involved, as Regional Police Commander in Northern Tanganyika, with Mau Mau infiltration from Kenya. It was, however, as Inspector General of Police in Uganda that he faced the greatest challenges of the end of Empire - the Independence campaigns, inter-tribal conflicts, an Army mutiny, incursions from unstable neighbouring states, influxes of refugees and - the most pressing need - effective localisation of the Uganda Police command before Independence. Wrong Place, Right Time is a story of professionalism, crisis management, self-reliance, humour, and good race relations.