White Russians in the pre-World War II period were looked down upon by the British; as Gerald Horne put it, their lifestyles, employment, and poverty were seen to "undermine 'white privilege'", and other Europeans tried to avoid any interaction with them. Nevertheless, in 1930 a number were engaged by the Anti-Piracy Guard Contingent (established in 1914) which came under the auspices of the Hong Kong Police. They were not trained police officers with warrant cards, and accordingly were paid less. After WWII, some of the more capable Russians joined the HKP as inspectors in Water Police - one, Alex Zarembra, was killed in 1947 when his launch collided with a steamer off Tsim Sha Tsui.