Rewards for Police Information

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25607, 23 September 1948, Page 4

Rewards for Police Information

Answering a question in the House of Representatives recently, the Prime Minister said that although it had not been the practice to offer rewards for information in hit-and-run motor cases, this would be considered in any case where it seemed that the offer of a reward would produce information leading to the arrest of the offender. A Press Association message reported the Commissioner of Police (Mr J. Cummings) as favouring this procedure when normal police investigation failed to detect the offender. “The offering of rewards would be “ warranted when they could legiti- “ mately help in bringing a hit-and- “ run driver before the Court,” said Mr Cummings, who emphasised that he would not like rewards to be offered as a matter of course. It is to be hoped that before it resorts to this expedient the Police Department will give the public a clear picture of the kind of circumstances in which it thinks the offering of a reward would be useful. These are not easy to visualise. It is a citizen’s duty and privilege to aid justice and help enforce the law. All should render this service, whenever it is in their power, without thought of reward. Anything which detracts from this conception of citizenship should be scrutinised very carefully indeed. Much as the community wishes to see offenders brought to book, it must beware of encouraging among the less responsible the idea that they should be paid for doing their duty and exercising their privilege as citizens, or. worse still, of encouraging them to believe that if they withhold information long enough they will eventually be paid for it. One or two extra convictions, a doubtful result at best, would be an inadequate benefit to set against a weakening, however slight, of the civic conscience.

The police have a difficult problem to sheet home some hit-and-run offences. They have the goodwill of the public in their efforts. The main difficulty is not to persuade unwilling witnesses to give evidence, but to obtain the help of those who unwittingly have useful knowledge and would willingly help if they knew its relevance. This resolves itself into a question of informing the public. The police are assured of all reasonable help from the newspapers and from the radio stations in appealing to the public for help and in making known how they may be helped. It is not often that these facilities are used adequately or skilfully.