This publication examines the position and role of
Sikhs in the policing of British Malaya and the
Straits Settlements. The Sikhs were employed in the
Colonial Police Forces of the Straits Settlements
and the Peninsula Malaya from 1874 to 1957.The
Sikh martial self-image coupled with the given
colonial classification of their community as
a Martial Race served to ensure their employment
in these colonial law enforcement agencies. The
Sikhs were able to entrench themselves in Malaya
and Singapore largely because of the para-military
nature of the early Colonial Police Forces as well
as the reluctance of the Chinese and indigenous
Malays to serve as policemen in these parts of the
Empire. This publication goes on to show how these
early Sikh migrants and police recruits eventually
became the genesis of settled Sikh communities in
these parts of the Far East.
Sikhs in the policing of British Malaya and the
Straits Settlements. The Sikhs were employed in the
Colonial Police Forces of the Straits Settlements
and the Peninsula Malaya from 1874 to 1957.The
Sikh martial self-image coupled with the given
colonial classification of their community as
a Martial Race served to ensure their employment
in these colonial law enforcement agencies. The
Sikhs were able to entrench themselves in Malaya
and Singapore largely because of the para-military
nature of the early Colonial Police Forces as well
as the reluctance of the Chinese and indigenous
Malays to serve as policemen in these parts of the
Empire. This publication goes on to show how these
early Sikh migrants and police recruits eventually
became the genesis of settled Sikh communities in
these parts of the Far East.