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Name: NAPIER, James Lanemuir
Birth Date: 1861 Glasgow
Death Date: ?1932 Lambeth
Nationality: British
First Date: 1895
Profession: Uganda Railway - UK appt as Dist. Engineer 9/11/1895; sacked 20/10/1897; Listed as member of Mombasa Club 1899
Area: Mombasa
Book Reference: North,, Police, Playne
General Information:
Police - The Uganda Railway Police was formed by Mr Napier, a railway engineer, about the beginning of 1897. They were employed as camp police along the line of construction works. The majority of the Railway Police were recruited in India or from amongst the Punjabi coolies building the Railway. By 1899 the necessity for qualified Police Officers to control them had become very apparent, and the services of C.G.D. Farquhar and C.H. Ryall were secured in February of that year from the Punjab Police on a period of secondment.
Playne - The railway police force was started about the beginning of 1897 by Mr Napier, one of the district engineers, as camp police, and was composed of Indians recruited from the railway coolies. Later, when the necessity for European police officers was felt, Messrs Farquhar and Ryall of the Punjab Police were seconded, the former given command of the railway police with the rank of Superintendent and the latter was appointed Assistant-Superintendent.