INTERVIEWS AT SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28937, 3 July 1959, Page 17

INTERVIEWS AT SCHOOLS

Police System Explained

(New Zealana Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 2.

No injustice to any child is likely to result from the system by which police conduct interviews with children at schools, the Commissioner of Police (Mr W. S. Brown) considers. “I am satisfied the police adopt a very fair attitude,” he says in his annual report to Parliament, tabled today.

The propriety of the police conducting such interviews in connexion with offences has been publicly discussed, and in some cases questioned, during the year, he says. “There has been .no recent change in police practice, and the discussion arose substantially out of an isolated case. “When it comes to the knowledge of the police that an offence has been committed, it is their duty to make inquiries and. while wishing, wherever possible, to avoid interviewing children at schools, the police would be severely handicapped'if they were unable at times to do this. “The main issue, however, has not been in the police going to schools, but in their interviewing children without the parents being present. “The police are very happy to have parents present at interviews, but. unfortunately, this is not always possible to arrange. Their absence does not mean that a child will be unfairly prejudiced. In each case, the headmaster is first informed, the interviews are conducted Jin his presence, and the parehts are communicated with as soon as possible afterward. The interviewing pojice officer is always! in plain clothes.” z