H.—2

XI

With regard to Inspectors, however, we find it to be our duty to make special recommendations. The inquiries made at Napier have satisfied us that Inspector Emerson is no longer fitted to hold his office. With age he has lost the activity and energy of mind and body which are necessary for the proper discharge of his duty; his conduct of late has been in many respects unbefitting his position, and he has lost the necessary control of the men serving under him, and his services ought to be dispensed with. Inspector Emerson, after having served with great credit in the Royal Irish Constabulary, joined the New Zealand Force in 1864, and has held the rank of Inspector since 1868. As an Inspector he has done good service in times of war and peace. We, taking all the circumstances into consideration, recommend that he be called upon to resign, and that on resignation he be granted such retiring-allowance as, having regard to the result of our inquiries at Napier, recorded in our special finding, concerning him, your Responsible Advisers may consider proper. At Auckland and at Christchurch we found the discipline very lax, and a want of the close personal supervision and knowledge of the men which we consider essential on the part of the Inspectors. Inspector Hickson has served as Inspector for twenty-six years, and has been a valuable and efficieut officer, but by reason of age has lost the energy and capacity necessary for charge of such a district as Auckland, the area of which is very large and comprises fifty-two outstations, some of which he has not visited at all atid others but seldom during the five years he has been in charge of the district. In our opinion, with a view to the efficiency of the Force, Inspector Hickson should be called upon to resign, and on his doing so be granted the usual retiring-allowance. Inspector Broh'am does not appear to us to have that interest in the details of his duties which is desirable, and, contrasting the state of efficiency and discipline of the Force in his district with that of Wellington and Dunedin, we are convinced that the fault is greatly due to the want of vigilant supervision by Inspector Broham, and we recommend that his attention be called to the necessity for more personal energy in the supervision of the men under his charge in town and country, and in the enforcement of the rules and orders regulating the Force. Depot. We recommend the establishment of a central depot at Wellington for the training of recruits for the colony. This is a matter which we regard as being of the highest importance. It is unfair to the constable as well as to the public that he should be put on street duty without preliminary training, as is now done. He is armed with much power, and his ignorant use of it may cause serious mischief to the public and himself. Fortunately, those cases which have been brought to our knowledge in which constables have so erred have not been of a grave character. Enrolment. Recruits should spend at least four months at the depot, and while there should be diligently trained in all matters relating to police duty by sergeants selected by the Commissioner for the purpose. The subjects in which they should be trained should include the law relating to police duties, functions, and powers, ambulance work and first aid, simple drill, and other matters ordered by the Commissioner. Ambulance instruction might be given by the police surgeon ; no one to be received as a recruit unless he passes an educational test examination to be fixed by the Commissioner. During the period of training recruits should be paid 4s. a day, with free quarters in barracks. They should not be enrolled as constables until they shall have passed a satisfactory examination. The details of siich examination should be arranged by the Commissioner. Depot training is the method adopted in the chief Police Forces of the Empire, and we regard it as essential to a good Police Force, and believe that with such a system as we now recommend the general efficiency and status of our Force would be greatly increased and the colony thereby benefited, The system of enrolment established by Police Regulations Nos. 7 and 59 is that all vacancies in the rank of third-class constables shall be filled from the Permanent Militia exclusively, but this, not proving satisfactory, was modified by Order in Council of the I:2th March, under which persons not serving in the Permanent Militia may be enrolled,