POLICE SURPRISE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1933, Page 6

POLICE SURPRISE

f ■ > v; ,•: ji , COMMISSIONER’S STATEMENT.

MEN FREE FROM BIAS WANTED

LONDON, May' 7

Th.°* “Sunday Dispatch’ sayw that the secret of the “bombshell” launched by tne -Cjiumissiouer of imlice (Lord Trenchard), in his annual report, is the authorities’ belief that mere is grave risk tk.,t the police, if the system is not altered, will be at the meicy.of extreme trades unionists and Communists, with the result that they might be nowodess in the event of grave domestic disorders, resulting in serious rioting. Lord Trenchard is not aa alarmist, but he bias discovered that the ’Police Federation ’is creating a policemen with a grievance and political bias, because the right type of man is not 1 attracted, while agitators are attempting to undermine discipline. Lord Trenchard is aiming to enable policemen to overcome their Disabilities and make the force irr t proach-

Th© authorities are not desirous of supposing the Federation, _ which floes useful work, but when it goes beyond its province it is a menace to the State. Mr Herbert Morrison, a former Labour Minister, in a letter to the Home Secretary (Sir John Gilmour), declares that the Londofi Labour Party fears thht the report will gather and stimulate, instead of reduce, discontent. He urges that the recommendations should not he adopted until they aie properly discussed. He opposes the recruitment of an officer class, which, he says, might lead to “Prussianisation.”

Spei'..king at .the Labour demonstration in Hyde Park to-day, Mr Lanshury, Le/'der of the Labour Opposition in the House of Commons, said that Lord Trenchard wanted to transform the police into .an upper-class force, be-d-use ho could not trust a .workingclass force to crush Socialist government. Lord Trenchard’s report was a disgrace to himself and the Administration.