ANNUAL POLICE REPORT.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 1 August 1901, Page 4

ANNUAL POLICE REPORT.

(OUR I’ARLIAMEXTAIIY REPORTER.) Wellington This Day. In the annual report of the Police Force of the Colony laid on the table of the House this afternoon, Tunbridge states that on the 31st of March the strength of the force was 591 of all ranks being an increase of five during the year. The criminal statistics which include all offences reported, arc made up for the year ended 31st Dec last and show an aggregate increase of 1493 over the figures of the preceding year. The increases include drunkennes.lo7o, sly grog selling 91, indecent exposure and behaviour 20, lunacy 48, breaches of the peace 140. There was a decrease of 53 on the figures of the preceding year in respect of burglary, house-breaking, forgery, fraud, elc. Indecent and sexual offences shows an increase of 37 (269 against 232) but the Commissioner trusts that the exemplary punishment recently inflicted for outrages on girls of tender years will have a salutary effect. Ho thinks the increase in the number of charges of drunkenness is attributable to the continued prosperity of the Colony, and the increase in foreign shipping and continued activity of the police in clearing tho streets of intoxicated persons. There wore 172 arrests for drunkenness on Sundays in the four principal centres, being an increase of six ; and ho states tho law in this respect continues to bo infringed, and will be so long as it remains in its present state, __ . The Commiss’oner reitefaies his remarks of last year regarding tho difficulty in obtaining-evidence in cases of sly-grog .selling. He refers to the difficulty of dealing with illegal tote-betting men under the existing law, and declares that until the police are given power to arrest without warrant, betting men found following their avocation in the streets or pubbe places, those “posts to society” will continue to flourish. The law in England gives this power, and it works well.

Ho urges tho necessity of licensing secondhand shops and reports favourably on the working of the Infant Life Protection Act.

The conduct of members of the Forte has on tho whole been good and the training depot at Mount Cook continues to work well.

New Zealand has one policeman to every 1381 of the population at a cost of 2s 10: l r d per head, while tho Australian states range from ono policeman to 1030 of the population at a cost of 4s 2d per head, and in South Australia to one to every 389 of tho population at a cost of 12/OJd a head in Western Ausfcra Ha.