POLICE METHODS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 144, 14 December 1940, Page 8

POLICE METHODS

INQUIRY CONCLUDED

DETECTIVE GIVES EVIDENCE

COUNSEL SUM UP

The Commission appointed to inquire into police methods in regard to the taking of a. statement from a girl recently charged with a serious offence concluded its sittings at Wellington yesterday afternoon. The earlier evidence had been heard at Palmerston North. At the conclusion of the evidence, short submissions were made by counsel and the Commission intimated that a report would be issued later. .The members of the Commission were Mr. Justice Ostler, the SolicitorGeneral (Mr. H. H. Cornish), and Mr. H. F. O'Leary, president of the Law Society. Counsel were Messrs. H. R. Biss, for the four police officers concerned, Mr. W. P. Rollings, on instructions of the Police Association, for the detectives, and Mr. A. T. Young, for the young woman concerned .arid her family. The Inspector of Police at Palmerston North, Mr. Scott, was also present. The name of the young woman was suppressed, also all references to places of her occupation which might lead to her identification. The witness was referred to in the earlier proceedings as Miss X. Prior to the commencement of yesterday's proceedings Mr. Young said that as nothing had occurred in the hearing to the prejudice of his client he did not propose to make any submission. Arising from the evidence given by the girl, however, as to the circumstances in which her statement had been taken, he asked the Commission to make some general pronouncement of principles which should apply when witnesses were being warned as to indemnity.. The chairman pointed out that such a pronouncement would be valueless as it would have no authority. DETECTIVE'S EVIDENCE. Detective-Sergeant E. C. Jarrold, who is in charge of the district.from which the young woman came, corroborated the evidence given by Detective Allsop at Palmerston North as to the finding of the child's, body on a bridge and the subsequent tracing of the young woman through her name written on a newspaper in which the body was wrapped. He gauged from the circumstances that, it was the work of a professional abortionist. He interviewed the girl first because he felt that she would possibly be able to assist the police in their efforts to apprehend certain persons concerned with abortion. When he set out to interview the girl, he had no intention of arresting her, but merely wished her to . help. He went to her home and explained to her what had been found, and asked her if, as her name was on the paper, she could assist in clearing the matter tip. She did not hesitate in giving her answers; she was, in fact, the essence of frankness. She was worried about the possibility of her mother and father finding out the circumstances. He impressed upon her the necessity of telling her parents; otherwise he himself would possibly, be placed in an embarrassing position should the parents arrive dui'ing the questioning. . , The girl and also the mother were concerned that the father should not be. informed, but witness persuaded them both to agree to the father being told. He. himself broke the news to him on their behalf. NO PROMISE MADE. He made no promise to,the girl that if she made a statement she would not be prosecuted. He told her that her statement might be used in evidence, not necessarily against the girl herself. "I was not intending to prosecute the girl at that stage," witness said. "I was after that abortionist." When witness returned to the house after interviewing the father (the parents had been at the cowshed when he arrived), Detective Allsop had already started taking the girl's statement. The girl told witness and his colleague that her boy had performed the operation, and she expressed concern lest he should suffer as a result of her revelation. ' The girl refused food during the taking of the * statement, but, after the detectives' persuasion, she ate four slices of bread and butter and drank a cup of tea. During the taking of the statement witness asked the girl several times if she wished to rest and she declined each time. At no time during the proceedings v did either Detective Allsop or witness promise the girl that she would not be prosecuted. There was no occasion to make any promise not to prosecute or to warn her of a possible prosecution. Detective Allsop had asked her about letters, and the girl said she had none. There was no suggestion made to her, however, that the house would be searched. Nor did he and his colleague tell her during the statement not to worry, as the girl had alleged. He had, however, told her not to worry about her parents being told. When she was worrying about her boy. witness had said, "Don't worry about him; he can look after himself." The chairman: Would the girl take it from that that you did not intend to prosecute her? Witness: At this stage I had no intention of prosecuting. "GREATEST CONSIDERATION." At the conclusion of the evidence Mr. Biss submitted that the detectives had treated the girl with the greatest consideration, even to the extent of relieving her of the distress and duty of telling her parents. There was no necessity for them to hold out any threat or any promise to the girl, who had made her statement frankly and willingly. There was nothing improper in the conduct of the detectives. If the police, when faced with the question of whether to prosecute the young woman or not, had failed to do so, they would not have been j doing their duty, and would probably have faced criticism more severe than that directed against them in this case. The crime of abortion was recognised as one of the greatest national evils faced by this country today, and in the face of such clear evidence, the police were obviously in duty bound to attack it in the way they did. Mr. Rollings submitted that the police officers involved had acted according to the high principles laid down in their instructions and as practised in the past. In the circumstances it was clearly the duty of the police inspector to prosecute both the man and the woman, as had been done. They had been co-parties in the crime of abortion. At the conclusion of these submissions the chairman intimated that the members of the Commission would confer and report later.