TRAINING YOUNG POLICE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1926, Page 4

TRAINING YOUNG POLICE

There is some controversy about the luck of applicants for the police force, but I do not agree that would-be policemen are scarce. The trouble is that volunteers are not. up to standard, writes a “Chief Constable” in the London “ Daily Mail,” 1 recently interviewed 50 men desirous of filling three vacancies caused by inon retiring on pension and could choose only two. It shuld he known that a policeman must he at least sft Din in height and have a 30in chest measurement. fmlcd. in some forces •Alt lOins is the minimum demanded, and a few require candidates to he not less than Oft in height. ft lias been lay experience that if a man’s appearance is approved he either fails to pass the surgeon or his education is the stumbling-block—in most, eases the latter. The education test is very simple—reading, writing, easy dictation and tilth standard sums yet the majority of applicants made seven to ten mistakes in the dictation and could not. do the sums.

The police force offers an excellent career to men of all classes, but naturally the educated man or the man wlio sets out to improve his education is the matt who will got on. Some people say £;i |Os a week is excessive, hut a policeman earns every penny of it. Ilis job is monotonous unless he is a detective and point duty is a great strain upon the nerves. Ife has to exercise great self-control. He may not drink to excess, bet or gamble. He may not enter a public-house in uniform except in the execution of his duty. If ever found drunk he would he liable to dismissal or at least heavily lined. His wiTe, like Ciosar’s, must he above reproach. He must first ask his chief’s permission to marry, and show that his wife-to-be comes from a respectable family and is herself of good character. A local man is rarely appointed to tin' police force of his native place, the argument being that he would find it difficult to do liis duty conscientiously among boyhood friends. Ilis antecedents, character and physique being satisfactory, a recruit, swears to do his duty without fear or favour and is sent to a police school for three months. There he is drilled both mentally and physically and coached in crimianl law and the duties of a constaid'. If he posses an examination

he remains on probation for nine months, during which time his work and conduct both on and off duty are carefully watched, and if all is well he becomes a fully fledged constable. Even then his education is not finished. He has to pass his St John Ambulance test, and if he wishes to become a sergeant he nas to attend evening classes at the evening schools to fit him for the necessary examinations.