THE POLICE FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1821, 6 August 1913, Page 8

THE POLICE FORCE.

CRIME STATISTICS.

STRENGTHENING UP WANTED

INTERESTING REPORT.

The annual report on the Police Forts of the Dominion ior the year ended March. 31 was presented to the licuso ol K-epre-sontatives yesterday afternoon Ly tho Minister for Justice (tho Hon. A, L. Herduian). On March 31 tho strength of the forco was 816 of all ranks, being ail increase of 11 during tho year. Tho following were, the casualties for tho yearHetired on pension under the Public Service .Superannuation Act, 4; retired as medically unlit, 3; died, 9; resigned voluntarily,'3o; called upon to resign, 1; translorrod lo Civil Service, 2; dismissed, 4; services dispensed with, 3; total, 50, tk sauio number" as in tlio preceding year. In all, 68 men wero taken on to serve in tho force. Crimo and Criminals, Tho criminal statistics deal with all offences reported to t'ho polico during tho year ended December 31, and show au aggregate n-ott increase of 082 on tho ligures for 1911, T'ho proportion of oilences to the population was 2.35 por ' cent., As against 2.32 for' tho previous year. Following are some of the mow noticeable increases:—Abusive, insulting, or threatening words or behaviour, 114; deserting or -absenting from merchant vessels, 120 j drunkenness, 185; failing tc provide for wives, children, or relativesi 76; forgery and uttering, 37; gaming offences, 193; malicious injury to property, 82; neglected' or criminal children, 511 soliciting prostitution, 30; stowing away oil board ships, 53; theft of cattlo and horses, 22. As against these and other increases, there were tlio following do. creases:—lndecent assaults, 19; breaches of tho peace, 73; cruelty to animals, 231 disobeying orders of tho Court, 24; illegally on premises, 24; indecont behaviour, 70; maliciously killing or maiming animals,- 17; sly ijrog-scllmg, 65; theft from dwellings, 14; theft of sheep, 20; vagrancy, . 30. The percentago of arrests or summonses resulting from all oilences reported during tho year 1912 was 95.59, tho figures of tho preceding year being 93.97. Tho limnlor of all offences reported in tlio Eoveriil polico districts during tho year were as ' follow:—Auckland, 6833j Thames, 971; Napier, 2197; Wanganui, 2445; Wellington, 6025; Greymouth, 1013; Chrktchurch, 4011; Duncdin, 1773; Invercnrgill, 713. Tho following is a return of tho number of serious crimes reported as compared with those of the preceding year, the numbers in parenthesis in every caso showing tho number of oilences in which arrests were mado: — •arson- 12 (12), assault and robbery 19 (19), burglary, breaking and entering, etc. 307 (312), forgery and uttering 159 (148), murder 3 (2), attempted murder 1 (1), rape 6 (6), receiving stolen property 46(46), shooting with intent 4 (4): totals, 617 (550). The totals last year were SSO (474). During tho last tcai years, the number of serious . crimes as above; described has varied from 520 to 759; tlio present total of Gl7 lieing slightly below t'ho average. A decreaso of 99 in tho number of indecent and sexual offences reported is shown this year on the number recorded last year. Drunkenness—Wellington's Record. There has been an increase of 185 in tho number of persons prosecuted for drunkenness during tho year, as compared with tlio provious year.. Of , tho males 38.12, and of tho females 61.33 had previous convictions recorded, against them, and 5.97 per cent: of the males were not permanent residents . of tho Dominion. Tho total number of persons charged were 11,076 males and 80S females. The return, showing the number of persons arrested for drunkenness in the four principal centres is very bad reading for Wellington people. - Tiio numbers ar.rested were: Auckland ar.d suburbs, 1659 males, 183 females; Wellington and suburbs, 253-1 males, ir 3oß" 'females; Christchurch and -- suburbs, 779 males; : 119 females'; Duncdin and suburbs, 494 males.' 63 females. With the exception of ono ninn, in Wellington, every single person arrested was oonvicted. In Wellington tlioro was an increase in tho number of arrests of 387, in Auckland a decreaso of 170, in Christchurcli a' decreaso of - 129, and in Duncdin a decrease of 60. The Waihi Trouble. Tho report contains tho following eohcral remarks:—"During tho year a striko tcok.placo among tlie men employed in tlio gold-mining industry at Waihi and Waikino, which necessitated over 80 members of the Police l'orco being drafted there from various parts of tho Dominion to protect life and property, and help older as' botwoen the strikers and freo labourers who came to fill tho places vacated by the former. Tlio police, during the five or 3ix months they were on special duty at Waihi, had to perform very 'harassing duty, and wero subjected to gross insults mid abuse from the strife-. ers and their womenfolk, yet, notwithstanding tho irksomo duties tho men had to perform and tho abuse and insults levelled at tlieni, not a solitary caso of misconduct was reported against any member of tho force. Tho tact and for-bc-aranco exercised by the police enabled them at all times to maintain a complete mastery of the situation at Waihi, and I liavo no hesitation in-stating that they proved themselves to bo a body of meii that tho Dominion should be proud of. , "Owing to a .strike having occurred among the coal-miners of Iluntly, a dotachmcnt of police had to bo sent there for a few weeks, but, as vc-ry littlo disturbance took placo and the men return-. cd to work, tho police wero soon withidrawn. Moro Polico.Wanted. Tho steady increaso in population throughout tlio Dominion and tho consequent increaso in polico work is oausing o constant demand from thp public and from tlio polico officers in charge of districts for moro polico in tho city and suburban areas as well as in tho country towns and moro remote country districts. These demands cannot, however, bo granted till such time as a substantial numerical increase to the present strength of tlio forco has been authorised. The taking over of tho street traffic in certain localities also calls for ,an increaso in tho number of tho polico in thoso plaoes. Tho Auckland Exhibition, which is to open on December 1 next will also causa a demand for extra police in .Auckland city and at the Exhibition itself, which must be oomplied with. "It is. to be hoped that when the numerical strength of tho forco is increased it will bo found possible—without lessening tho police protection of. the streets —to deal liberally with tho remiesls of polico constables for more regular Sunday leave and for time off in lieu of tinio speut by them in attending Court when off duty, than they at present receive. Definite instructions have already been issued that these concessions must lie' given whenever possible. To meet, all these demands for extra police' would entail au increaso of fully 103 men to tlio present autherisjd strength, but as this .. Would involve an additional sum of UJI7.SOO to tho cost of tho Department, I cannot ask that such a largo increase bo made in any one, yoar. I am, however, reluctantly compelled to 'ask for an incrrevo this year of 30 constables to tlio present, authorised strength of the force." In conclusion, tho Commissioner (Mints . out'that for v-t-rv many years the polico hsivo 1)M) performing work for other Government Departments that was not -within the scope of ordinary polico duty. This work had increased fa much as to mean a loss of efficiency in the service. The time has arrived, says tho Commissioner, for theso Departments' to pay a specified annual amount for the sexvioo3 rendered. Cost of Police, Ail interesting tabic gives a comparative statement of the proportion -.f polico to population and the cost of tho service per individual:— , Proportion to Cost por Number population, inliabof polico. Ono in itant. • s. d. New Zealand ... 840 1303 3, 8, Victoria 1,7,16 795 4- 10} ■. N.B. Wales 2,490 .713 5 10 Queensland ... 1,053 601 8 81 S\ Australia ... 512 StO 5 5J \V. Australia ... 4!HI 624 8 4} Tasmania 231 853 4 11.