Harold Fairburn

Who was Harold Fairburn?

Harold Fairburn, CMG, KPM, was the Inspector General of the Straits Settlements Police in Singapore from 1925 to 1935.

The son of a schoolmaster, he spent his early life in Suffolk, England before joining the Straits Settlements Police as a cadet in 1904. His training included a twenty month period spent in China, where cadets learnt the language and gained an understanding of Chinese culture. He went on to become the first police cadet to be made an Inspector General, succeeding G C Denham in 1925. With the support of the Straits Settlements governor Hugh Clifford, he initiated an extensive reorganisation of the police force. This included the construction of new police stations and officer's barracks, many of which remain as distinctive landmarks in Singapore.

He is recognised as having worked towards improving the salaries and working conditions of serving officers. In the years following World War I the rising level of inflation had significantly reduced the value of wages, which led to an increase in the amount of debt amongst junior officers. In 1926, he became the president and advisor to the Singapore Police Cooperative Thrift and Loan Society, which gave officers their own collective credit scheme and also helped them to manage savings.