POLICE OFFENCES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1805, 18 July 1913, Page 8

POLICE OFFENCES.

ENLARGED POWERS SOUGHT. The Police Offences Amendment Bill, which was circulated yesterday, enlarges the powers of the police in the event of industrial disputes, picketing, etc. It is provided that, upon summary conviction, a line not exceeding A'2o, or three months' imprisonment, may be imposed upon every person who, with a view to compel any person to do or to abstain from doing any act which lie has a legal right to do, (a) uses violence or intimidates such person, his wite, or children, or injures his property; (b) persistently follows such person about from place to place; (c) hides any tools, clothes, or other property owned or used by such person, or deprives liini of them or hinders him in the use thereof; (d) watches or besets the home or place where such person resides, works, carries on business, or happens to be, or the approach, to such liouso or place; or (e) follows such person with two or more other persons in a disordolly manner in or through any street or road. A proviso to tho foregoing clause stipulates that attending at or near a house or place in older merely to obtain or communicate information shall not bs deemed a watching or besetting within the meaning of the Bill. Section 65 of tho principal Act, which regulates the apprehension of idle and disorderly persons, is repealed, and the following section is substituted:— (1) Any constable may, without any warrant other than this Act, at any hour of the day or liight, take into custodyfa) any person whom he finds drunk or disorderly, 'or using profane, indecent, or obscene language; or (b) any person, who, within view of tho constable, uses any threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour, with intent or calculated to provoke a breach of the peace, in any street, public vehicle, or passengerboat; or (c) any pevson who, within view of the constable, rides or drives on or through any street or other thoroughfare so negligently, carelessly, or furiously that the safety of any other person is or may thereby be endangered; or (d) any reputed common prostitute, thief, or idle person, rogue ana vagabond, or incorrigible rogue, whom the constable has reasonable cause to suspect of having committed or being about to commit any offence, or of any evil designs; or (e) any person whom tho constable finds lying or loitering in any street, yard, or other place, and not giving a satisfactory account of himself; or (f) any person who, within view of tho constable, offends in any manner against the principal Act or this Act, and whose name and residence are unknown to the constable and cannot be ascertained by him. (2) Every person so taken into custody shall be detained in custody until he can be brought before a Justice to be dealt with according'to law; or until he has given bail for his appearance before a .Tustico in tho manner prescribed by tho Justices of the Peace Act, 1908.