A REPLY TO "WHERE ARE THE POLICE?"

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1656, 9 April 1884, Page 2

A REPLY TO "WHERE ARE THE POLICE?"

•.'• ■•"•-;/■ tTo ; *hb .Editob.) Siit ir -I' noticed in your issue of yesterday a letter headed " Where are the police f and signed •' Burgees." Now, Bir,- as Burgess thinks fit to make a direct and uncalled for attack on the police, who, by nature of their position, are unable to reply to it, 1 shall feel obliged if .you will insert these few lines in. reply to Burgess's letter. The writer of the letter in question would do well to remember that the police in Masterton, three in number, lmvo a beat of about 10 square miles, with a population of 5000 or thereabouts to attend to j surely they cannot reasonably he expected to be everywhere at the same time I Although Burgess says " I am not going to hint that the police keep purposely out of the way when these expected payday ro»vs occur, and goon duty in the Salvation Hall, (Sic."; the whole tenor of his letter very distinctly hints it, in spite of his assertion, 1 should like to ask him whether ho has sufficient pluck to assist the police, in cases where the public are annoyed in the manner he refers to, by laying information against the offenders? ..Ho, furthermore, expresses his opinion. that "tho sooner the force is put 'under the control.of the Borough Council the better for the peace of this community, as they (the police) would then have someone near to watch them, Well, Sir, I imagine that it might possibly bo advisable for the police to watch him, for a man who will, in an anonymous letter, attack people who are not'allowed to defend themselves is likely to be a dangerous man in more respects than one. Would it not have been more, manly of "Burgess" to have called on Sergeant McArdle,' and made a personal complaint about (what he considers) neglect of duty on the part of the police ? But instead of acting in a manly spirit ho appears to prefer holding himself up.to the scorn of all.rightthinking people by making a public and cowardly attack under a nom dc plume, I can only say, in conclusion, that I pity his taste, ■'lam k, W, J. Lawrence,