MORE OFFENCES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 256, 27 July 1939, Page 13

MORE OFFENCES

Police Commissioner’s Annual Survey PRINCIPAL INCREASES Little Variation In Serious Crime Statistics in the annual report of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. D. J. Cummings, for the yeai ended March 31,' 1939, show that offences reported to the police during the year totalled 44,308. 1 his> was a net increase of 5679 on the figure for the previous year. The report was presented in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Minister in Charge of the Police Department, Mr. Fraser. Some of the principal increases were under the headings of drunkenness (842), maintenance offences (51;>), and minor breaches of the Motor Vehicles Act (4199). Decreases were recorded in reckless or negligent driving (192), false pretences (182), and being found on licensed premises after hours (185). Dealing with serious crimes, the report states that 1474 of these were reported and resulted in 1164 arrests, the figures showing little variation on those for the previous year. Sexual offences showed a decrease of 71 to 546. Of the 5446 persons charged with drunkenness 5293 were males and 153 were "females. Of the males 3598 had not been previously convicted, and 104 of the females were also first offenders. Hotel Prosecutions. "There were 603 prosecutions against hotelkeepers, a decrease of 15 compared with the previous year,” the report states. “There were 428. convictions recorded, as against 419 in 1931. Ninety-three persons were convicted or sly grog-selling, and the fines imposed amounted to £2639. Gaining prosecutions totalled 598, with 559 convictions, compared with 6SI and 662 respectively in the previous year. There were 230 convictions on bookmaking offences, with fines amounting to £7545.” . . Discussing the work of the criminal registration branch, the report states that during the year linger impressions of 3220 persons were received, classified, indexed and filed. Of this num ber 284 persons were identified as previous offenders, and hud it not been for the finger print system they would have passed as first offenders. I’lnger prints left by 27 persons when committing crimes resulted in identification and prosecution in 22 cases. Finger prints of 417 persons were received for Inquiry from other countries, and of these 38 were identified as of persons previously convicted in New Zealand. The finger impressions of 100 New Zealand offenders were sent overseas for inquiry, 36 having been identified as previously convicted outside the Dominion. The finger print system in New Zealand has to date been responsible for the identification of 7224 persons. Shooting Accidents. In reference to the work of rhe Arms Bureau, the report states that the double-barrelled hammer shotgun has again been a heavy contributor to the shooting accident rate, with 13 accidents out of a total of 47 during the year. The worst type of small calibre rifles have now been eliminated from those being imported for sale. Attention is drawn to the increasing number of accidents caused through carrying loaded firearms in motor-cars and leaving arms and ammunition within reach of children.

The commissioner points out that at March 31 the strength of the force was 1439, an increase of 11 on the previous year. He considers that it will be necessary to make provision for an extra 30 constables in view of the Centennial Exhibition and the visit to New Zealand next year of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.