PITY POOR POLICEMEN!

NZ Truth, Issue 1179, 5 July 1928, Page 2

PITY POOR POLICEMEN!

Some Suggested Reforms For Reform Government

(From "N7Z. Truth's" -Special Commissioner.) Between thc sea of potential crime m this country, and the placid hinterland of modern life, with its. monotonous civilization, comes a comparatively thin, blue wall of humanity; the staunch and loyal, but disgracefully underpaid police force of New Zealand.

FROM Commissioner Mcllveney, m his carpeted office, to the humblest constable on the most uninteresting beat, the . remuneration of policemen m this country Is* all too short of the tremendous responsibility which rests on their corporate shoulders. Scarcely more than a fortnight ago, the Prime Minister, m one of those tastefully- served political dishes for which he is so remarkable, observed that the basic principles of good government were the maintenance of law and order. Quite so, and a very comfortable arid comforting philosophy, too. / But he made no mention of the financial disabilities under which police officers have labored for so many years, nor the extraordinary discrepancies which exist, between the .salaries of New Zealand police and those of our sister colony, Australia. And if, individually or as a combined organization, policemen have unswervingly performed their duties, it has not been because of any stimulus

provided by the Reform Government since it assumed control. Rather, m spite of it. When the Reform

The salary paid to the Commissioner of Police is an outstanding c x - ample of, shameless parsimony. The, post which S, A. Maddox holds as secretary to the Commissioner of Police m Sydney carries with it approximately £100 a lyear more than that allocated to Mcllveney, who, m turn, i^ m receipt of less than the salary and . allowances' enjoyed by th c inspector of police m the capital of New South Wales. , The New Zealand Government, with its policy of spendthrift m one direction and farcical | economy \ m an - i other, pays its Corn-

allowance— but the married constable of our y own country receives the paltry allowance of 14/-. In Wellington,, to illustrate the. point

party {mounted the dais of gov- ] ernm'ent m New Zealand some - 16 years <ago, the rate of police pay was comparable with any existent m the Australian States and more than double that prevailing m England. Unfortunately, those circumstances have suffered a complete reversal. Such, is the- margin' of difference hetween. the relative incomes' of New Zealand and Australian policemen that manj/r capable men have gone across the*^ water to enjoy the advantages which are offered there. Careful training and strict examinations have produced a fine type of police officer, m this ,country, but not on account of any. remarkable inducements held out to him when he. has joined the force does he remain honest and diligent. The very nature of their training, and the conditions under which they are called upon to work, unfit many members of the force to forsake their chosen avocation — and so they are asked to continue, the loyal spirit of "Carry, on" under a system of meagre pittances.

missioner of Police £75 a year less than the salary received by his immediate predecessors, who each were paid £1000 a year. Nor t is that all. Every Sta,te m Australia pays its commissioner £1000 or more, m addition to house allowances ranging between £100' and £250 per year, but Commissioner Mcllveney receives no such allowance, and has to contribute /approximately £57 each year towards the superannuation fund. Again, English officers holding equivalent positions to Mcllveney arc eyempt from income-tax,, but the Reform Government is ndt so generous. At the base of the ladder we find the situation even less happy. . .„- The maximum pay; for constables m this country is 16/6" per >day, whereas the mean average pay m Australian states is m the neighborhood of, 18/2. Similarly,' whilst the average period, of working hours m the Commonwealth is 44 per week, New Zealand policemen ; work 52. , . ''•",- In the Home Country police officers are provided with V a free house or quarters— or an equivalent by way of

raised m the previous paragraph, extremely few married constables enjoy the privilege of living m houses free from rent, rates and taxes, and the same contention may be ..applied throughout the whole radius , of the Dominion. While introducing the subject of remuneration rates allotted the detective Tbranch- of the service, it might be well to ohserve that • m, scarcely any other profession is the margin ' of temptation so wide or the opportunities for stealthy acceptance of bribery so numerous. «■ * „ 7* It is natural that the department,, which Sir Charles gfkerrett,;. Chief Justice, once described as the .most important of State departments; should desire to: have associated* with it men of unimpeachable integrity; men, who, despite any exterior influence , which may be brought to bear, would unhesitatingly continue along the avenues of duty. • It is no difficult matter to* decide that at some time or other many .mem-; bers of the* Criminal Investigation*

Meagre Pittances

Great Temptation

Branch must have been sorely tempted | to accept the offer of some wrongdoer | who was willing to find the price of: abandoning an investigation. ■ . N - This might be particularly true | m the case of a married offioer. , who may. have suffered a lengthy I period of domestic misfortune. Despite what misguided optimists I I may tell you to the contrary, poorly paid men find it difficult to remain honest. High food prices, combined with a plethora of medical bills, are calculated to do much towards the undermining of a poor man's moral fibre. Not that poverty mu^ be interpreted as an excuse for dishonesty, but as an earnest that underpaid men cannot be expected to place the interests of employers, whether State or civil, beyond everything else, and an illustration' that despite many barriers and restrictions m income, the detective force of this country is beyond reproach as an association of high-minded loyalists [Who do. not hesitate to perform all that

is asked of them. Home life? A good many detectives must dream about it, but very few of them are able to ' appreciate its inner!

meaning — the significance so plain to the men and women who lead the comparatively sheltered lives which the police force makes possible. According, to police regulations, It appears that detectives shall be pillars of tact and discretion; that their honesty must remain beyond the faintest tinge of suspicion; that, m essence, they shall be monuments of unquestioned virtue— on a maximum wage of 16/6 per day, any day, any night, at any time. " , Moreover, they "are asked to encourage the confidence of the respectable and the respect of the criminal communities, among whom they are expected, to act with absolute impartiality* Unless he is possessed of an extraordinary love for his job, the C.1.8. officer receives but little monetary encouragement to succeed, as the ultimate pay, of a detective- sergeant Is only 19/- per. day. , So it Is. that the men who form the barriet tbetween criminal chaos and well-frjdered existence, who '»>,\ should, receive re-

muneration and conditions of employment calculated to attract the finer types of men to the service, are called ' upon t o maintain the principles of esprit de corps without adequate return for faithful service. It is a testimonial to this hard-work-ing, uncomplaining' company of men, that the life of New Zealand citizens is free from the fear of desperadoes and the ne'er-do-'well element, which from time to time has terrorized the civilian population m other corners of the world. •If there is one other aspect of po--1 i c c constitution which should un-

.dergo a sweeping investigation at the hands of the Reform Government during the coming session, it is the conditions which govern the retirement of a police officer under superannuation. Under the present regulations, a member of the force must serve 40 years before he is entitled to the privilege of full pension, but the irony of if is that the compulsory retiring age is 65. \ It would be interesting to discover how many officers who joined the force at: 2-1 years of age are fit for duty after 'they .reach 55' or- how effective their powers of crime , suppression become at that age. A strict medical- examination of those at present between -the ages of 55 and 65 years should be rather illuminating m this respect, as very few would be likely to tip the scale 'of efficiency demanded by common sense. It is conceivable that the hoodlum fraternity would regard a 60-year-old constable oh beat' with a certain amount of derision, fairly secure m the belief that whatever mischief was con-

templated the aged constable would be comparatively impotent tb prevent it, 'In view pf what transpired after the

police strike, m Melbourne some years ago, the outbreak of underworld vendettas and razor attacks, such a condition of life would be unthinkable to most New Zealanders, who' will readily perceive "the inherent advantages of . a well-paid, highly- efficient and satisfied police organization m the country.,. ' . ' At the present time , an officer has literally to hang oh until he is eligible for his 'pension.' and by a protracted process of dragging himself around the. Streets he at. length' reaps his. reward. Such a is based upon a foundation of iniquitous economy, witho nothing to commend it but a * wide field for reformation.' If politicians are at all sincere m their verbal barrages across the floor of ,the House,- .they will . concentrate their most strenuous ; endeavor^' in the direction, of *.- reorganizing the conditions under which the police are asked to . work and the . remuneration they are asked .to. accept.