At the end of 1988, the Hong Kong Police employed 33,000 persons of whom 27,000 were officers and rest civilians or amounting to one police officer per 210 citizens. Police corruption was the most serious problem in the 1970s; it had long been considered normal as the past system relied heavily on customary fees and gifts to magistrates and staff. During that time police were poorly paid and inspectors commonly supplemented their income by running drinking houses and brothels. Organized corruption has now been brought under control due to moral entrepreneurship, a scandal, the formation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and a number of extraordinary large-scale investigations; however "freelance" corruption still frequently occurs. Correspondingly, reported crime and detection rates have decreased, but the force faces other problems such as recruitment and morale. The police force is a powerful arm of government compared to its Western counterparts; this and other issues will most likely be dealt with after Britain returns Hong Kong to China in 1997. 2 tables and 24 references (Author abstract modified)