THE POLICE FORCE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19736, 28 September 1929, Page 19

THE POLICE FORCE.

to to asrroa o» ths pbess Sir, —In recent issues of your widelyread newspaper I have seen a few interesting letters on the "Police Force." Your correspondent, "Avonside," asserts that "the Force is now paid sufficiently to indoce young men to join it," and I heartily agree with him, but if our Police Force is to be reeruited from clever, well-educated young men the present system of promotion (which is at the best antiquated and disheartening to learned, ambitious men) will have to be brought up-to-date. Modern business concerns are on the whole controlled by comparatively young men, whose capabilities and resource merited their rapid promotion to an executive position. In the Police Force to-day a recruit, after completing the probationary period, is stationed at one of the police stations and commences beat duty. If he is lucky, or •hows special aptiude for the work, he is given a chance to distinguish himself in the Plain Clothes Branch. After six months as a probationer, he receives the rank of acting-detective, which he holds for two years, and is then gazetted a detective. But this is as far as he can go for some time. After seven years of monotonous routine duty he may sit for the sergeant's or sub-inspector's examination, and if successful he attains his higher rank in the order of his seniority to other successful candidates. This means in many cases a man is past his beßt years before promotion comes his way. This fact does not offer much of an incentive to join. Further, a police officer is tied down by numerous regulations that restrict his liberty when he is "off duty," and on no account must he or his wife engage in any pursuit or hobby that will be of financial gain to them. In other branches of the Civil Service—the Railway, Post Offlee, etc—onee off duty a servant of those Departments is free to do anything that does not violate the laws of the country, and further, no restrictions are placed on the activities of their wives. In many cases wives of publie servants {Other than police) are i» business

cither on their own account or as employees. The wife of a police officer cannot make provision for the uncertain future by engaging in business, etc., yet should her husband die while in the Force she is not, granted a pension unless she is eligible for the Widows' or Old-age Pension. Notwithstanding this, a police officer's wife is often assisting her husband in his duties (especially n suburban districts), and further the Department reserves the right to condemn or approve of a constable's future wife, but does not take over the responsibility of her support should her husband die while in the service. Many men of intelligence and resource have resigned from the Force after comparatively short terms of service, and the reason for doing so is obvious When one compares the policeman's lot with that of other civil servants,—Yours, etc.J LIBEAE SOLIDI DENABII. September 27th, 1929.