POLICE REPORT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 861, 6 July 1910, Page 11

POLICE REPORT.

SLIGHT INCREASE OF CRIME. EXTENT OF SLY GROG-SELLING!. Tho <mmial report of tho Police Department, prepared by Mr. P. Waldegravo, Commissioner, was presented to Pariiamott* yesterday. The- report states that on March 31 last the strength of tho force was 775 of all ranks, being an increaso of four during tiio year. The following arc the casualties for tho year ended March 31 last:—Ectired under Police. Provident Fund Act, U; died, 3; resigned voluntarily, 17 J dismissed, 8; discharged, 1; called upon to resign., 20; total, 03. This is four more than in the preceding year.

Criminal statistics! Bio criminal statistics deal with all offences reported to tho polico dtiriilg tho year elided December 31 last, and sliow an aggregate net increase of 420 on tho figures of 1908. Tho proportion of offences to tho population, was 2.32 per cent., as against 2,33 the previous year. The increase has been mostly confined to tile less serious form of crime, such as assaults, breaches of tho peace, drunkenness, sly grog-sell-ing and vagrancy, whilst there has been a gratifykta decreaso under tho heading of burglary and certain classes of theft, 'i'lio percentage of arrests or summonses resulting from all offences reported during the year under review is 95.6.1, the figures of tho preceding year being 85.63. There has been mi increase of 314 in the* number of persons prosecuted for drunlceliness. No loss than 40.SD pel- cent, ol tho males and 73,78 per cent, of tho females had previous convictions recorded against them, and 7,45 per cent._ of the males wore not permanent residents of tho Dominion. Tho iMi&ber of prosecutions (Sl3) against liotolkeepers shows an. increase Of 38 as compared with tiie preceding year. There were 235 prosecutions for sly grog'selling, resulting in 154 convictions, against 158 prosecutions and 127 convictions during tho preceding year. The difficulty in obtaining evidence in support of charges of sly grog-selling is increased by tho disinclination Of tho general public to afford the polico any assistance in this, respect, and for this reason it is found necessary to resort to methods which arc distasteful both to the public and the police. Tho.ro is, however, no alternative unless the lawbreakers are to bo allowed to go their own way tin-, checked. Tho fines imposed on sly grog-sellers during 1909 ■ amounted to &235S los., as' against. £1749 15s. iii 1908. The amounts of fines in tho various districts arc as follow:—Auckland, £529 155.; Thames, £620; Napier, £69; Wanganni, £72; 'Wellington, £518; Ohristchiirch, £242; Duliedin, £205; luvercargill, £103. Tho direct cost to the Dominion in detecting and tu-osecutino; slv grog-Kellers was £1030 19s. 6d„ this being £1.267 15b. 6d. less than the amount of fines imposed.

Canilrtg Offences. There were 239 prosecutions,, resulting in 208 convictions, during the year under tho gaming laws, against 213 prosecutions and 184 convictions in 1903. The question of licensing book' makers will have to bo vefy seriously considered, and some restriction bo placed upon the many undesirable characters wlib under the present law follow the profession of bookmaking.

Finger-print Branch. Oil March 31 last the fingor-print collection 'consisted of the impression of 0919 offenders, being an increase of 1201 on the previous year. During the year 140 offenders, •whose antecedents were unknown to .the police of the districts in which they Were in custody, were, by means of their finger impressions, identified as previously convicted por,sons, showing ah increase of two over last year. The following table shows increase of the finger-print collection, and prisoners traced thereby' for the past sis years,' Prisoners Number of traced as Prints in previous collection, offenders. 1905 4200 72 1906 ~.„., ~ KOOO 8$ 1907 (5151 104 1908 ......>.,.,....... 7622 123 1909 8718 138 1910 <)3l<) 140

Police Provident Fund. On March 31 last the amount standing to the credit of the Police Provident Fund was £32,204.75. Id., being an.ilifcroaso on the previous year of £330 19s. Bd. pn the same dute there wore on the fund 8 ex-inspectors, 1 cx-sergoanb-major, 21 ex-sergeants, 55 ex-con-stables, 5 cx-detcctives, and 2 widows of deceased constables, their aggregate annual allowances being £8231 Bs. This fund has now been merged in the Public Service Superannuation Fund* Since the Police Provident Fund Act, 1,899, came into force the Government havo saved the sum of £22,G0G Bs. lid. in tho form of retiring allowances. During the'year, 61 probationers presented themselves, at" tho conclusion of their course of training at the depot, for examination in "first aid to the injured," tho examinations being held under the auspices of the St. John Ambulance Association. OF tlie 61 men who sat, all passed. The maximum number of marks was gained in seven cases, the average of'those who passed being S4.6S>. (Maximum, 100; bavo pass, 50.)

WotHngicr. Diswlot. Inspector Ellison's report for the Wellington District is as follows:—The authorised strength of tho force in this district on March 31 last was 153 and tlic actual strength 151, including 1 constable who has been absent -for several months in other districts on special _ duty. Tho increase to the authorised strength during the year was 1 acting detective and 2 constables to tho head station at Wellington. Tho tift'enoos return furnished in January shows the total number of offences reported during last yuar was 5508, a decrease of 357 on the previous year. Tho number of undetected offences was 200, as agaiiisfc 222 for the previous year. Many of the undetected offences wore petty thefts. On tho whole, tho year's work shows a fairly good result. The decrease in offences may bo to somo extent attributed to the fact that money was not so plentiful for spending purposes in the community as for a few years previously, but with a largo moving population some offences may vary considerably Hfc different periods without any apparent reason. The conduct of the Forco, as a rule, .was good, and whilst somo mou do not show a great deal of tact and energy, and aro slow to loam their work, the past year shows a great deal of oreditablo work and a JKiislactory result. The detective sta t ff has worked well and energetically, and the same can bo said of many of tho uniform service, there being, as a rule, a general ilesivu to purfoim odctovjs and often unpleasant duties in a straightforward loyal manner.