YEAR'S CRIME RECORD.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 221, 17 September 1919, Page 9

YEAR'S CRIME RECORD.

A SLIGHT DECREASE. The criminal statistics contained in the annual report by the Commissioner of Police show that during the past year there was an aggregate net decrease of 2G57 offences reported, compared with the previous 12 months. The proportion of offences to the population was 1.C4 per cent., as against 1.59 in the previous year. The two offences showing the most considerable increases were theft and malicious injury to property. The most considerable decreases were drunkenness 1571 cases fewer, vagrancy 203, failure to maintain wives and families 2til, and desertion from ships 155. The report of Superintendent X. Kiely, officer in charge of the Auckland Police District, states that the total number of offences reported for the year wae 4295, as compared with 4745 in the previous year, a net decrease of 450. In respect to the decreases of offencee the most noticeable come under the heading of drunkenness, 320, and failing to provide adequate maintenance, 170. Both are, no doubt, attributable to wa r conditions, the former to G o'clock closing, and the latter to the number of indifferent husbands who have been absent with the Expeditionary Forces, and whose wives have been drawing their allotments and separation allowances. '"I cannot say that the district has been free from serious crime altogether," says Superintendent Kiely, "but I am pleased to be in a positionto report that very few cases have gone undetected, which, in itself, is satisfactory, considering the under-staffed condition, and the enormous amount of work the police have been called upon to perform for other Government Departments." Inspector Sheehan, reporting for thM Hamilton police district, states that the offences return shows that 15G2 offences were reported, compared with 155G for •the previous year, an increase of six. Sly grog-selling, he says, is still rife in parts of the King Country, notwithstanding the heavy penalty inflicted on the culprit 3 when* detected, but owing to the large profits made in the sales', no matter how active the police are in endeavouring to cope with it, the trade is still carried on. Fines amounting to £569 were imposed during the year ior I sly grog-selling.