THE POLICE FORCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 231, 4 November 1909, Page 2

THE POLICE FORCE.

REPORT OF THE UOYAL COMMISSION, GENERAL CONDUCT GOOD. ADMINISTRATION KEYEIiELY CRITICISED. APPOINTMENT OK UNDKSIKABLES. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Lnl Night. The following is a summary of tli-' findings in the report of tile Royal Coinmission on the police, laid on the table of the House today:— ItFCOMMENDATIONS.

Closer supervision of the training depot at night required. Fuller enquiry should be made into the antecedents of men joining the force. The probationary period should lie extended to three' months, anil married probationers he paid 7s lid a clay. No recruit should be liually unrolled until lie has completed three months' probation service on the streets. Pay should commence at 8s a day

and increase by increments of Oil i' day cverv three years until it readies lis Oil. Senior constables should re eeive 10s per day. There should be some degree of elasticity in regard to educational qualifications. Positions should not be "offered" to men; transfers are too frequent. Weekly classes should be held for all men of less than two years' service. CONDUCT OF THE FORCE.

The conduct generally of the men, tlu> Commissioner finds, has been good. The Commissioner is convinced that a.good dtnl of drinking goes on amongst the vtmngcr men, and cases of drunkenness "have hem dealt with far too leniently. A.-; to morality, there is little to cavil ai.

ALLEGED INFLUENCE. The Commissioner considers that a certain amount of political influence has been used with regard" to tho enrolment of members. The idea of sectarian or Masonic influence is scouted by the Commissioner. There is discontent in the force in regard to PROMOTIONS.

* The Commissioner recommends that. No constable should be promoted to the' rank of sergeant after he has passed the ago of 45. Station sergeants should r oe danc away with and replaced by senioi sergeants, and they and chief detectives should be eligible for the rank of sub-inspector. The headquarters staff should, be replaced by civil servants, and present lnem'bers'of tffe stall' sent to duty outside. Annual leave should be extended to fifteen days. Recruits slioulci be instructed in rifle shooting. The Commissioner is not in favor of setting up an appeal board. Travelling allowances should be increased to 8s per day. Departmental enquiries should be conducted on oath.

The general conduct of the police is good. OBSOLETE REGULATIONS. The Commissioner remarks that many of the regulations are obsolete, useless, and ineffective, and, though Mr. Dinnic bad recognised for several years the urgent need for revision, nothing was done in the .matter. Recent instances of grave misconduct on the part of certain members of the force had created a feeling of unrest and want of confidence in the force Alluding to M,r. Arnold's charges respecting the APPOINTMENT OF UNDESIRABLES a= constables, Mr. Bishop makes some severe comments. Referring to the case of an Australian criminal mentioned by .Mr. Arnold, the former says he can see! no reason for the.Commissioner taking on a man he was not sure of. In another case, Mr. Bishop says he dou'rls very much if the man would ever have been accepted had it not been for the backing he received from a member of Parliament. Of another case, that of an ex-Permanent Artilleryman, he fails to understand why a man insubordinate in one force should be supposed to be fit for another force shortly afterwards, whatever his credentials from friends might b\ Of still another case, which lie describes as "one of the worst I have come across in connection with laxity 'ii admitting men to the police fore?/' Mr. Bishop says: "The profound .impression it left on my mind is. that had ii not been for the pressure brought to bear by another member of Parliament, the man would never have been accepted. The enquiries made about him were never satisfactory and were never property completed, and almost every state, ment the man made about himself was a lie, and he even went to the length ol producing documents on behalf of himself that belonged to another man of the same name, lie was finally allowed to resign." "There have been," continues the Commissioner, "so many in»eanc'"s lately of men, after admission, proving themselves to be

PERFECT BLACKGUARDS and quite unfit for the position of constables that it cannot lie wondered at that one should be, rather sceptical as to the. real value of the preliminary enquiries made, even although they might appear prima facie to lie quite complete. It is not very satisfying after the event to be assured by (he Commissioner of Police flint every undesirable, so soon a* discovered, has promptly received "nbconge." Ooing fully into the case of a [constable who was charged with robbing a drunken man, and after various transfers allowed to resign, while the consfoble who complained about him was transferred, and, on complaining, was severely reprimanded and lined .CI, Mr. Bishop characterises this as "one of the most glaring instances T Tiave come across of

"TXISPT ADMTXISTRATTOW Dealing atjemjtli with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bishop says: "As lie (the Commissioner) evidently wished it to be implied that he wag responsible for the setting up of this Commission, it is, perhaps, a- iittle inconsistent that he should on certain occasions have -hown a disposition to impede rather I ban assist the work of the enquirv." Mr. Bishop adds: "That I lie Conmiirsioner has a long and honorable police veeoriT Ho one can possibly doubt, but vheUier lung actual police experience necessarily qualifies a man fur I lie sue cestui administration of ii force such as ours is a matter of opinion. A man must be ganged by the result of his work. Where T have found it necessary to differ considerably from the Commissioner'* views on certain .matters, and to criticise adversely certain phases of his administration, f have done so with

regret, for T fully recognise that it. everything lie has done lie has noted honestly, with the host intentions, and with a due regard which he helieved, however mistakenly, To he in the best interests of the force." "The Commissioner," Mr. llishop says in another p'ace., "makes the astounding statement, that there is no general dissatisfaction in the force. Whv. the evidence is full of installers in which men have com. l forward and expressed the gravest 'is "itisfction. and it would certainly he nnflir to term these men what the Com■nusioner thinks m-opcr to call 'agistors.'" Again, he says: "The Com-Mp-slnner take's credit to himself for considerably inmroving the efficiency of '!•'■ r 'irce after lie took over chaTge from I'v.Cn, •» vsioner Tunbridge. Whether "'; '""'';' en n he tiistly claimed must be '" '"- the evidence. There is no donl.l. T take it. that the force was highly ellicient when Mr. Tunliridge left "it. and it is unfortunate th<it a commission o! ennnirv should have to s it upon il to-day." I

THE Fl'Tt'RE. In the course of his concluding remarks Mr. llishon savs that the'position of several officers, if left as they .re. will he perfectly impossible, and "■rave trouble may arise. What, he asks, is going to be the position of certain men who have given evidence adverse lo their superiors? "f can do no more," he says, ''than leave the position here, in the hands of those in authority, with an earnest injunction to grapple honestly and sincerely willi any jlifTioultics (hat have arisen, so |h,il no feeling of sort"i« niav continue or risk of doiu« in. nisi ice niav arise, hut that all mnv vvorV together for tile benefit of the force Mint,- taken as a whole, is A CREDIT TO THE DOMIXTOX, ami that, properly handled, will still further enhance its reputation."

OTSCUSSEf) IX THE HOUSE. Wellington, Last Xighl. When Ihe report of (Tie Commissioner was tabled in the House this afternoon. Mr. Arnold explained that the course taken by him was not antagonistic to Mr.. Dinnie, and he regretted that that officer had made a personal matter of it: The charges made hr him (Mr. Arnold) were serious, but not reckless, and If MM of them were proved he was

justified in making them. Mr. Dimne's statement Unit all the charges made | were absolutely baseless was absurd, but . worse still was Mr. Dinnio's statement itbat he had laid a trap for public men s who w«v enquiring into the state of the | force. He wae satislied, whatever the , | I ,',.|,ort might be, that new heads were I required for the Police Department. The I whole head office ought Jo be reorga'i\\ir T. E. Taylor (Christcliurch) reI vii'wnil Commissioner Bishop's finding in several of the charges. Since the D.I.U scandal at Dunedin he had doubt* as to Ihe eapaeltv «f Commissioner Dinnie. | \lr Tnvlor'cnve i" stlll "' c8 of laxlt >'. ol discipline existing in the force, and mv pioper methods of promotion. One o.

Ihe most important matters in the rein rt was the state of the headquarter* 'fair, which was seriously affecting the, 'noralK of Hie entire force. Mr Bishops recommendations with regard to Mr. I Iniinic himself were that the Cmnmi«kioiicr was grossly incompetent, and lie I f.il<-<l io see how the Executive could

retain his services. Mr. Ilcrdniim, referring to the st'itc of the force under Mr. Tollbridge, sail that officer had resigned rather 1.1m.1 snlimit Io dictation of Minister* of the Crown. In the present case the M • trv was responsible and could not make a scape«ont of the Comiiiiwloncr. Mr. Wilford snid Ihe police force of l.h« Dominion was as good a- any in Ihe world, lie did mil believe one charirc of bribery mid corruption was brought be fore ihe Commission. Mr. Bishop had 1 nol taken up the proper altitude in declining Io recognise Mr. Diunic's status.

Mr. n .\f:issey said lie would not diseu" ihe report, lis the House had not yet ( bad an opportunity lo read the report. < It was an extraordinary thing tint while this wa« so, the report was pub- I lished by the Press and available to the public outside. This was a very unfair position to place the House in. Sir .Toseph'Vi'ard, in reply, said he had hoped members would have waited till they had copies of the report, in their hands 'before discussing it. The Clovernment's proposals in regard to the report would he placed licfnrc the House, when an opportunity would he given to discuss the whole matter. Deferring to Mr. ITr.rrtmnr,',, r™nrti ho cni.l tlK.se were

llrrdmans remarks, he said tnese were contrary to fact, and showed bias. Mr. Herdman Warned Minister* for interfering with the force, and then blamed them for not interfering. Sir .Toscph Ward read from the report showing that the charges of political influence were unfounded. He denied that Ministers of the Crown had interfered unduly with Commissioner Tunbridge. The Minister in charge of the Department at the time

may have reversed the Commissioner a decision. Tie was entitled to do that, and had to accept his responsibilities. Tt was absurd to suggest that if a Minisler responsible to Parliament and. -.he people reversed a decision of his subordinates he would be interfering improperly with them. The Government had not yet arrived at a conclusion in regard to the recommendations embodied in the report. Mr. Arnold was right in calling for the enquiry, and the Government had done its diitv in anpointing the Commission and having the whole matter cleared up.

MR. DINNIE PREPARING A STATEMENT. Wellington, Last Night. v Mr, W. Dinnie, Commissioner of Police, intends to prepare a statement covering the allegations contained in Mr. H. W. Bishop's report to (Parliament con corning the police force. Mr. Dinnie will ask the Minister of Justice to lav his statement on the table of the House