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Captain Speedy, The First Perak Chief Of Police
Tristam Charles Sawyer Speedy was born in Meerut, India, in 1836. He received his education in England and then served in the Indian army from 1854. He was then appointed as the Superintendent of Police of Penang in 1871 before becoming the Perak Chief of Police in 1873.
In the mid 19th century, tin had been found in the Larut District by Long Jaafar during an exploratory trip. Long Jaafar was then elected as the Malay chief of Larut District by the Sultan of Perak. Chinese miners were employed to excavate tin from the district. In the 1870s, there were estimated around 30,000 Chinese workers of different groups of secret societies, in the Larut District. The scuffle between the Chinese secret societies finally turned into the “Larut Wars”.
Unable to control the situation, the Malay Chief Ngah Ibrahim (son of Long Jaafar) went to seek help from the British Governor in Penang in 1872. In 1873, the Governor sent Captain Speedy with a troop of the Indian army to disband the rivalry between the Chinese triads. Captain Speedy was then appointed as the Assistant British Resident of Perak when the Pangkor Treaty (aka Pangkor Engagement) was signed on the 20th January 1874.
To read more about The Pangkor Treaty / Pangkor Engagement, click here.