METHODS USED BY POLICE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27683, 13 June 1955, Page 6

METHODS USED BY POLICE

RAILWAY WORKERS’ COMPLAINT MR HOLLAND DECLINES to Comment (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 10. The Prime Minister (Mr Holland) has declined to comment on police methods “so long as these are not improper, or illegal, or an infringement of the rights of citizens.” Mr says this in reply to the New Zealand Railway Tradesmen's Association, which Wrote to him protesting at the alleged employment of a member of the Police Force at the Hillside railway workshops for the purpose of obtaining evidence for bookmaking prosecutions. The Prime Minister’s letter says that none of the contingencies or impropriety, illegality or infringement of citizens’ rights appears to have arisen in recent prosecutions for bookmaking in Dunedin. “For your information, I would point out that all six prosecutions were in respect of alleged offences in hotels,’’ Mr Holland states. “One employee of the Hillside workshops has been prosecuted, but activities at the workshops are not concerned in any of the prosecutions. “I am sure that your members will appreciate that some breaches of the law —sly-grogging, bookmaking, common gaming house offences, and thefts in factories and workshops, cannot be detected by usual methods of police investgiation. But I do not think that many people would be willing to say openly that the police should not act in these offences. “I note that the Hillside branch in its resolution reserves the right to forward the matter to the press if no explanation is forthcoming. I have no comment on that, except to point out that the matter was publicised some time before the resolution was forwarded to me as Minister of Police,” said Mr Holland.