THE DAY'S WORK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 21 August 1908, Page 7

THE DAY'S WORK.

GUARDIANS OF THE PEACH. A CITY'S POLICE FORCE. DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF CRIME. The policeman, for some unfathomable rcason, has always been tho butt of the caricaturist, tho playwright, and tho writer of the "bright" paragraph in tho newspapers. The juvenile mind no sooner gets over an infantile fear of the blue suit and the shako than it in turn proceeds, from a rcspectablo distance, to ridicule the guardian of the peaco, . It is popularly supposed that tho police officer has a soft job, hut in this column it is proposed to deal seriously with the policeman, from his chief down to the junior rank, the uniform constable. The Inspector. Tho li6ad of the force, to be a success, liaa to be a man of many parts. . His duties commence not later than 9 a.m., at which hour he has placed before him reports on tho occurrences of tlje previous 'night, as well as a formidable budget of correspondence from all parts of his district. Probably before this portion of the'work is fairly commenced, the Sub-luspe'ctor, armed with the - Court charge-sheet for tho day, waits upon' his chief and receives filial directions' iu connection with the various cases. Tho Chief Detective also happens along about the same time, and lays the charge-sheet containing tho detective cases before the Inspector, who has to give final orders in this connection" also. A general conference on matters pertaining to crime and criminals follows, and unless engaged in more important business I. tho Inspector attends the opening of. tho morning's Court, not to conduct police cases, but to supervise matters generally. A survey of the city follows, and then another pile of correspondence requires attention. Complaints from.members of the force, breaches of tho regulations, and general supervision of the working of the whole district take time, and visits to tho outlying districts', Nelson, Marlborough, Wairarapa, and part of the Manawatu, personal attendance to licensing matters, and a few trifles which individual members of the community consider of the first importance, keep tho Inspector fully employed until 'well into ' tho night. .But ho is not finished when ho roaches his..homo. .There ho is at the end of a telephone' and at tho beck and call of all and sundry—and all and sundry do not . fail to take full advantage of "their servant.'' The wife whoso husband has been on- tha spree and broken things up looks to tho Inspector of Police to have- her wrongs righted; the mother whose child has been hit by somebody else's child likewise looks to the Inspector; and .so tho round go 011 with the Inspector of Police as- the general adviser' • and final court of appeal in dozens of family quarrels. The Sub-Inspector. The Sub-Inspector is the general super- _ visor of the uniform police, arid instructs them iu their duty; distributing the 'Various inquiries and other matters that have to he attended to daily by this branch of tho service. An escort has to be arranged for —the Sub-Inspector is responsible: a complaint is made to a constable—send the person with the grievance to "the Sub." All. cases brought by tho uniform police have to bo prepared and conducted in the Court by tho Sub-Inspector, who has also' tor'see'that the men aro attentive to their duties, and to themselves and their quarters. . Correspondence forms 110 small part of the day's work, reports being literally showered on the table ... q- t^. Jjfie Sfation-Sergeant. 'The'Station-Sergeant is the Sub-Inspector's right-hand mail, and assists generally with tiie supervision of tho -men and tho correspondence, also with complaints made by tho public. Chief of the Detective 'Staff. Overnight reports receive tho attention of tho Chief Detective first -thing in the morning, anything of an - urgent nature being placed in the hands of one'of the staff at onco. A conference with tho Inspector and the receipt from him of a bundle of matters requiring attention, is- followed by a dis-' tribution of work-amongst the-,staff;- Then follows the sitting, of the Court, whore the Chief Detective conducts-all .cases .iu which tho detectives aro concerned. General supervision of tho work of the staff, and the preparation of cases for tiie Court, is an important part of the day's work, as is assisting and conferring with the staff. Like the other heads of' "the service the Chief Dotective is badgered with complaints, trivial and serious, all of which- havo\ to bo dealt with and sifted. As in the case (f tho Inspector, the Chief Detective is to be had at the end of a _ telephone j and when lie leaves his office at night cannot bo ; sure that JlO is safe until morning. Detectives on the Road. The life of the ordinary detective is a hard, one, although the layman is apt to believe • that tho only work: a detective docs is ar- ■ resting thieves, \or attending race meetings, etc., in searcn of them. When a person' places a- matter in the hands of a detective lie does not ■ often stop to think that this case is only 0110 of from six to, a dozen or more the same detective has in hand at that time. .The hours of tho detective are such as few men have to put in, and a lost dinner or a lost night's sleep is 110 uncommon thing; but the work to bo done makes this necessary, advantage having to bo taken, of every opportuntiy, 110 matter at what inconvenient liour it may arise. When a chance offers of getting information, it must be availed of, and in consequenco there is practically no homo life for tho detective. A groat amount of the work done by both the detective staff and the general police' never I comes under tho notice of tho public. Small inquiries and routine work leave-the detcc'tive with little time on his hands. Thero is hardly a day that the detective walks through tho city that he does not see something which is.jotted down iu his noto book and tho production of one of' these note books in Court shows that these street strolls are 110 idle wander for the detective. The notebook is frcqently brought forward in vagrancy charges, where evidence 011 the 1 following lines shows that tho detective keeps his eyes open. "I saw accused at-— p.m. on . lie was standing at the — in company with , a reputed thief." Or again: "At 10 p.m. on I noticed ■ accused coming out of the : hotel with. -- a housebreaker," and so tho list is detailed, and the net wound closer round the accused. The Watch-house Keeper. The duty of the watch-house keepers, .who aro 011 duty all day and all night, is to see that prisoners lodged at tho station aro properly searched and that a correct inventory is taken of any property they may have in their possession. . This inventory is taken 011 what is termed a "property sheet" which sheet tho prisoner is invited to sign when tho list lias been mado out. Tho sheet is also signed by the arresting constable and tho watch-houso keeper. Tho charge 011 which tho man is arrested has to bo en*' terod in the watch-house cliargo book as soon as the prisoner has been deprived of his belongings and oscorted to tho cells. Any reasonable requests tho prisoner may make, such as asking to be put in communication with friends or a solicitor, have to be attended to by the watch-houso keeper, who has also to visit his prisoners at frequent intervals arid seo that thoy aro all right. - There is a good deal of clerical work attached to the position a record having to be kept of every prisoner, his cliargo and sentence. When tho Court is over the prisoner if discharged, has his property returned to him by the watch-house kccpor and if sent - to gaol his goods go with him. All charges of crime aro entered in a crimo.book in the ivatch-houso, overy member of tho force liav- - ing accoss to this book. Sergeants. Tho sergeant is in control of tho street Eorccs whilst they aro oa duty and has to

make inquiry into the miscellaneous matter* which crop up on the beat and keep a geno ral [supervision. over, the men. • The District Clerk. The District • Clerk is attached to the Inspector's office' and keeps a record of all correspondence arid accounts for the district. A very large amount of correspondence passes through this department. Constable X. The uniform constable is the police officer with whom tho general public come into closest touch, but many believe that outside of his beat patrol with the occasional inconvenience of night duty the constable has nothing, to do, besides ..quelling, an occasional disturbance and collecting a few stray drunks. . The policeman has a thousand and one duties to porform, and assisting the - waifs and outcasts of society is no small portion of his work.-This notwithstanding tho fact that ' ho is frequently branded as the enemy of the: outcast. •. Beyond all, he has to be a man of fair, average ability and of undoubted honesty. ■ The'successful policeman has to be a fairly expert penman, every accident, suicide or similar happening having to be reported on in full arid handed on to the senior officers. In cases whore Court proceedings : are likely to follow witnesses •nave to be gathered in and their statements taken in full, also for the information of the heads of the force. • Not infrequently a constable :is placed in an awkward position by being asked by a citizen to arrest a. porson. He may have power to make the arrest, and he may not, But it is a serious matter to arrest a man offhand,. and somo knowledgo of the law is necessary .to prevent , going astray in this Serving summonses and issuing warrants is. also, part of the day's work,- so that it will bo seen that a stalwart frame is Hot the . only qualification needed to be a policeman. ;