POLICE METHODS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 6

POLICE METHODS.

OBSERVATIONS Oh' A JUDGE. Siißprostion (hot l.tio police had set out to create crime rather than detect it w made by Mr. [\ W. .lack'nii yesterday during the conr.-o of his address to a jury in the Supreme Court. -Mr. .JailiM.ii ««s appearing for -lames Henry liopn, who pleaded n:]t guilty to a charge nf sly grog-selling. Counsel. in referring to tiic coursc which Ihe police had adopted in working up the caM\ characterised their methods as "mi-British," anil contended (hat (lie evidence of tiio police constablo should be treated with eaut::on, as ho was, in reaiitv, an 'accomplice. These remarks \i;cre referred to atsosno length by Mr. H. 31. Ostler (Crown I'l-on-pcutor), and (lion by Mr. Justice Cliapninn. b 1 ] 1 ? tune back," said nis Il'inmir, Mich things did occasionally occur, anil there was a cerhvlu amount of waiulal about it. Instead of employing constables, tho jKiiicp would employ other persons. By their putting before 'anv adventurer (he prospect of obtaining ashiiro of a fine, (lie result might be that a moil might go to a boardinpfhouse, kepi by Bomc respectable widow, and, by felling a piteous tale of pick wife and child, induce a sale of liquor.' That was scandalous, but for more than 20 years that method had been entirely discredited, discouraged, and dil.-uspd. It was a perfectly legitimate tiling for the police to sondono of their number to see if a suspected person were willing to commit this particular class of ofl'cnce. Indeed, it was the duty of the police to do so if a person were suspected of reporting nn olTencc be bad committed before. Something had been said about this being mi-Britislv. The?# were times when a good deal of nonsense was talked. So lons as ft respectable agent was employed or a member of the force of known rospoctalxlHy, there was no danger to the community- His Honour ventured to say (here was 110 other, way of detecting such ti crime. _ It was iidle to call an agent an accomplice. An accomplice was what might be termed a "pal" in crime—a person in jt with criminal intent. These observations were dim to tho police.' So far as bis Honour s opinion went there was nothing improper in what the police did in this case.