NEED FOR UNIFORMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 815, 8 November 1929, Page 16

NEED FOR UNIFORMS

POLICE IN CHILDREN’S COURTS PLAIN CLOTHES URGED THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Thursday. An effort is to be made by the Minister of Justice, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, to do away with the practice of police wearing uniforms in the juvenile courts. He said in the House of Representatives this evening, when the Justice Estimates were being discussed, that he wanted children’s courts to be children’s courts. The question was raised by Mr. A. E. Ansell (Chalmers), who said the police had attended children’s courts for four years in plain clothes. Lately it seemed that officialdom had got to hear of this and now policemen had to wear uniforms. He was strongly against the practice and if necessary would divide the House on the subject. He was supported by others. LETTER FROM MAGISTRATE Mr. Wilford said he had received a letter on the subject from a Dunedin magistrate, Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, and had had the Crown Law Office investigate the regulations. It had been found that it was absolutely necessary for the police to wear uniforms on duty. He would try to do away with that. Regarding a suggestion that police visiting private residences should wear plain clothes, Mr. Wilford said this was unavoidable and even if the police could wear civilian clothes, could they be constantly changing from one set of clothes to another?