H.-16

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Police Prosecutions. The following is a return of the number of convictions for which fines were imposed and the total amount of such fines in respect of prosecutions instituted by the police during the year ended 31st March, 1930 :—

Criminal Registration Branch. At headquarters the finger-impressions of 3,055 persons were received, classified, searched, and filed during the year ; 239 persons were identified as previous offenders who, had it not been for the finger-print system, would probably have passed as first offenders ; 960 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the Branch ; the photographs of 2,515 prisoners (4,189 photographs) were dealt with, and 528 photographs were reproduced in the Police Gazette. In fifteen cases of breaking and entering, finger-prints left by the offenders when committing the crimes were identified and the offenders brought to justice. The most noteworthy of these were the following : — (1) At 2 a.m. on the 17th December last a constable in Dunedin saw a man loitering in one of the streets. He was interviewed, and his finger-prints obtained, and these were found to correspond with some left on a safe which had been blown open in Dunedin a few days previously. On receipt of this information the Dunedin police again located the man and arrested him for this offence. He then made a confession admitting fourteen offences (mostly safe-blowing) which he had committed in Christchurch and Dunedin. Details of his finger-prints were cabled to New Scotland Yard, London, and a reply was received the next day giving particulars of previous convictions recorded against him in England. He was later sentenced to five years hard labour, and declared an habitual criminal. (2) In July last finger-prints were found at a shop in Christchurch which had been broken into and a partner of the firm shot by the intruder. These impressions were identified as those of a youth who was arrested for another offence, and who subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted murder and several other charges. During the year the finger-print system was responsible for the identification of twenty persons wanted by the police, also for identifying one deceased person. The following table shows the increase in the finger-print collection since the introduction of the finger-print system of identification in March, 1903 : —

The section of the Criminal Registration Branch at Auckland which was established in June, 1928, reports as follows : — The finger-impressions of 764 persons were received, classified, searched, card-indexed, and filed during the year, and fourteen persons were identified as previous offenders. The finger - print collection now totals 1,270 impressions, and 135 re-convictions have been recorded. The photographs of 288 prisoners were taken, and 1,395 photographs with descriptions and criminal histories supplied to the Department; 233 miscellaneous photographs of exhibits, views of localities, &c., required in investigations and prosecutions were also supplied. The results of prosecutions and particulars of previous local criminal history were furnished in 390 cases to headquarters.

Number of , Total Amount of -tines payable to n , r . Convictions. Fines imposed. £ Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. .. .. 13,868 26,917 Main Highways Revenue Fund (section 24, Motor-vehicles Act, 1924) 4,856 11,117 Local authorities (by-law offences) .. .. .. .. 719 648 Total .. .. .. .. .. 19,443 38,682

AT , r r Prisoners m u * t Prisoners Number of Increase on , , „„ dumber of Increase on t , rflppr | n „ Year. Prints in Previous p . Year. Prints in Previous ,, Collection. Yea, OfSXL L 904 .. 3,500 3,500 117 1918 .. 20,982 1,474 132 1905 .. 4,200 700 72 1919 .. 22,332 1,350 153 1906 .. 5,000 800 88 1920 .. 23,686 1,354 176 1907 .. 6,151 1.151 104 1921 .. 26,650 2,964 232 1908 .. 7,622 1,471 123 1922 .. 28,408 1,758 255 1909 .. 8,718 1,096 138 1923 .. 30,284 1,876 292 1910 .. 9,919 1,201 140 1924 .. 31,929 1,645 289 1911 .. 10,905 986 148 1925 .. 33,802 1,873 267 1912 .. 12,097 1,192 178 1926 .. 35,844 2,042 292 1913 13,552 1,455 183 1927 .. 37,808 1,964 255 1914 .. 15,302 1,750 230 j 1928 .. 39,409 1,601 276 1915 .. 16,682 1,380 270 1929 .. 40,852 1,443 i 208 1916 .. 18,134 1,452 218 1930 .. 42,371 1,519 239 1917 19,508 1,374 166 _ _ _ _ [