POLICE FORCE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20427, 23 December 1931, Page 10

POLICE FORCE.

LOYAL AND EFFICIENT. TRIBUTE BY MINISTER FOR JUSTICE. (rSESS ASSOCIATIOK TELEGRAM.) "WELLINGTON, December 22. The Government's , appreciation of the services of the New Zealand Police Force during the present year was expressed by the Minister for Justice, the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, in an address, to officers and men of the Force sit the Wellington Central Station this afternoon. He spoke to a large gathering in the station yard, and he paid a high tribute to the work of both the uniform and plain-clothes branches. Mr Cobbe said he" had sought the opportunity of addressing the Force entirely on his own initiative, having been invited by no one, for he was anxious that he should express his appreciation of the loyalty and efficiency that had been shown by the Police Departmentj throughout the year. He fully realised that the year had been a difficult one, for crime was apt to flourish during times of depression. Utmost Satisfaction. As a member of the Government he 1 considered it his duty to state officially that the Force had given the utmost satisfaction. It had not been aggressive, but, had gone about its work with the idea of giving the least possible amount of trouble to the public generally. It -was gratifying to know that there was a spirit of loyalty and satisfaction throughout, the Force which, in common with other branches of the Public Service, had been subjected to salary and wage cuts. No finer police forces than those throughout the Empire were to be found in the world, and they were known for their honesty and efficiency, "he London policeman was a byword among travellers, and it was gratifying to know that people could turn to the police of the Dominion for assistance when it was needed. The Navy was often referred to as the Silent Service, but the term could be well applied to the Pohce Force, for jt did its work and said nothing. Another important consideration was that the Force did its work cheaply, a fact that appealed to a Minister at a time like the pre-* ®? nt - T l?e. upkeep of the Force cost the Dominion 6s OJd per head of the population each year, wheroas the cost in Australia was 10s 4d, or about 71 per cent. more. Ctood Service in Napier. Mr Cobbe paid a tribute to the work or the police in Napier and Hastings «ter the great earthquake of last February, when Inspector J. Cummnigs and his staff were responsible tor carrying out their duty in the face Rli™,n r i - in ■ a manner that ft, + £ an lns P'™tion to every man in the Force in -New Zealand. The Force was well aware of the action of the constable who carried on, in spite of the fact that his wife and child had both been killed, and his loyalty to his In :Jk Wnrth ?u° { the hi « hest Praise.' tif ' th ° , work of the detective force was worthy of mention, and it had been responsible for the carrving of many difficult cases to a successrru° uslon during the year tJ w Mi "ister wished the members of the lorce the compliments of the se? woH-^fft® expr . essed a h <>P6 that the wV f i ?, comin 8 year would be atT hy and . nad for so lone marlrAfl activities of the Department *