POLICE RETURNS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 37

POLICE RETURNS.

CRIMINAL OFFENCES ON THB INCREASE.

The criminal statistics for 1907 for th« Dunedin police district, which embraces all the country from the Shag River to Chasland'6 Mistake and inland to the west sida of Cromwell and taking in Naseby, hava been completed, and an analysis shows thai compared with 1906 there has in the year just ended been a total increase of 329 offences. The principal factor in this large increase is drunkenness, the convictions for% which have gone up from 724 in 1906 to 865 in 1907, an increase of 141. Charges of being found on licensed premises during the currency of prohibition orders have gone up from 29 to 59, common assaults have increased by 10, assaults with violence from 6 to 12, breaches of the peace from 62 to 103, burglary from 41 to 56, deserting and failing to provide for wives from 60 to 77, deserters and stragglers from H.M.s ships from 2 to 13, gaming offences from 5 to 9, indecent exposure or behaviour from 24 to 39, mischief from 32 to 52. Amongst the very few decreases are charges for sly grog-selling, which declined from 23 in 1906 to 13 last year. The total number of offences committed in the district for which arrests were made approximates 1950. The following is a summary of the main points in the return giving the comparison with 1906: — 1907. 1906. Assault 79 61 Assault and robbery ... 3 A Breach of the peace . . . 103 82 Burglary 56 41 Offences against girls .... 3 1 Disoiderly conduct 30 21 Diunkenness 865 724 Forgeiy 3 3 Indecency 39 2i Disorderly ~hon=es . 4 1 Wilfully hainnng piopeiiy . 52 39 Manslaughter — 3 Murder '. . . — 1 Obsceue language 75 7 7 Opium smoking 9 5 Rape 1 1 Sly grog 13 23 Theft 235 228 Vagrancy 62 42 Prohibition order bleaches ..59 29 Maintenance ... . . 167 108 In the above cases the following remarks apply: — Drunkenness, 769 males, 96 females, all convicted ; breach of peace, 23 dismissed ; obscene language, 71 convicted, 3 discharged ; sly grog, 7 convicted, 6 discharged ; theft (common), 15 committed for trial, 67 summarily convicted, 22 dismissed; thoft from dwelling, 3 committed for trial, 8 convicted summarily, 1 discharged; theft fiom person, 1 committed lor trial, 2 convicted, 1 discharged ; breach of prohibition order, 51 males, 8 females, all convicted.