THE POLICE.

Evening Star, Issue 12899, 23 August 1906, Page 1

THE POLICE.

ANNUAL REPORT. DECREASE OF CRIME. [From Our Pabliamextaby Rkpobter.] WELLINGTON, August 22. On March. 31. last, the strength of the force was 667 .of.all ranks, being an increase of 12 during the year. The criminal offences reported for 1905 show an aggregate net decrease of 817 on the preceding twelve months, the average animal increase for the last five years being 944. This makes the actual decrease, on •an average basis, 1,761, which is princiaccounted for by the reduction (908) in the number of persons dealt with for drunkenness. The proportion of offenoes to the copulation, as compared with the •preceding year, has been reduced from 2.33 to 2.18 per cent. In regard to ■serious crimes, ihe only noticeable in\2«ase is in the number of burglaries and I 'forgeries, while indecent and sexual offences disclose a decrease. The large "diminution in drunkenness is, in Commis-. !»oner Dinnie's opinion, chiefly attributable to the passing of the Licensing Act of 1904 and the activity of the police in carrying it out, and ' partly to the discontinuances of licenses of railway refreshI toent rooms. 38.59 per cent, of the males and 64.21 of the females had previous convictions recorded against them,, and 9.61 per cent, of the males were not permahent residents in the colony. ■ There Averc charged with drunkenness in 1904 9,615 (8,660 males and 955 females), whereas in 1905 the number was 8,707 (7,905 males and 802 females). Prosecutions against hotelkeepers have increased by 34, probably due to recent legislation on the licensing laws. The management of it is stated, generally continues to improve. The fines imposed on sly grog ■sellers during 1905 amounted to £1,103, against £1,584 the preceding year, and the direct cost to the colony in detecting and prosecuting slv grog sellers was £727. Despite tho adoption of special tactics to hring sly grog sellers to justice tfto offence is still persisted in, and carried on with greater secrecy. The Commissioner is of opinion that if more severe punishments were inflicted when convictions any recorded they would have a deterrent effect. Of the £1,103 derived by wav of •fines, for this class of offence, Dunedin "contributed £320, -Auckland £319, and Christchurch £lB7. , In a > short reference to gaming offences the report says that if it is intended to ■minimise gambling in. the direction of playing " two up" in private places, to prevent totalisator advertisements appearing in the Press, or to reduce the number of TattersalPs agents who collect lottery subscriptions'in the colony, it will 'be necessary to amend the Gaining and Lotteries Act, 1881. ■ The efficiency of the. Police Force has been well maintained. Fifteen men were punished for being under the influence of liquor (7 of whom were dismissed or called upon to resign), 2 were fined for drinking •whilst on duty, and 2 for entering hotels •while on duty and not reporting the same. Otherwise the conduct of the men has been good. Identification by finger-print marks has been established in many cases. The finger-print collection consists of the inipressioos of s,ooo,•offenders. The Police Provident Fund on March 51 stood at £27,121, being an increase on the year of £2,245. There were then on the fund 3 ex-inspectors, 15 ex-sergeants, 31 ex-constables, 3 ex-detectives, and 2 widows and 3 orphans of deceased constables, the aggregate annual allowances being £5,037. Since the Act came into force the Government have saved the sum of £14,932 in the form of retiring allowances. Inspector O'Brien thus reports on the district under his charge: "The provisions of the Licensing Act of 1904 have materially assisted the police in enforcing the licensing laws. In one case in the Glutba district a conviction ensued against a sly grog-seller where there was no evidenco except the tracing of large quantities of liquor from time to time to the suspected person, and he being unable to offer the Court any satisfactory explanation as to how such liquor was disposed of. A substantial fine was inflicted, the afterresults being very satisfactory. The provision making it an offence to be found in licensed premises' after closing hours and finding prohibited persons in possession' of liquor has been productive of good results. It would be idle to contend that sly grogselling does not to a limited extent exist in the No-license districts, and, indeed, in the City of Dunedin; but as regards the first-mentioned places, it would be utterly impossible for a person who was not well | known to purchase liquor. A largo number j of prosecutions for this offence have taken I place during the year, and substantial penalties have been inflicted, which no doubt will have a, deterrent effect. The business is therefore neither pleasant nor profitable to those, who embark in it. Licensed hotels, particularly in the City, have been conducted in a most satisfactory manner during the year, but there have been a few instances where the conduct of some of the country hotels has not been so good. Prosecutions have in such cases ensued, and although convictions did not follow in every case, the effect has been satisfactory. The conduct of private billiard rooms has been during the year, tho provisions of tho Police Offences Amendment Act, 1903, regulating the hours of closing, etc., having been found to work well. "The conduct of the sergeants, constables, and detectives now remaining in the force here has, with a few trivial exceptions, been very good. The granting of house allowance, to married constables after twelve months' service and the more liberal scale of uniform material has been much appreciated, and has added to tho contentmnt of the men. The appointment of a station sergeant has filled a long-felt want, and the appointment of an additional eergeant now permits of two'sergeants being placed in charge of the night-duty section. This arrangement ensures additional supervision, which under the hitherto existing circumstances was impossible. " The Infant Life Protection Act continues- to perform its functions in a satisfactory manner. Inspection of the infant homes has invariably disclosed the fact that the children maintained therein are properly fed and clad, and clean and healthy. Very few deaths have been recorded, and the only prosecutions under tic Act' were i for receiving children without being duly licensed to do so. j " The common betting-houses are not now so much in evidence as hitherto, but the laying of totalisator odds is still indulged in by a few bookmakers, though not to any great extent The difficulty in tbe detection of this class of oflence'is that the other party to the bet may decline to give evidence, on the grounds that such evii deuce would tend to incriminate himself. It seems to me that the law in this respect should be amended so as to compel all parties concerned in the transaction to give evidence. The Chinese game known as 'pakapoo' received a considerable check

on the'conviction hereo^l^inaJßa ( B l \cßdL<'' was fined £IOO for ticket t Rivinr an interest in such, a lS&fc/ is, however, another form ofjgtoaoiing . ; which seems to infatuate a large section W '. the coamunity--Yi&, 'two'-up;' which con* sisfcs of the tossing of two coins in the air and wagering as to whether they *wifl be •heads' or 'tails' on reaching the ground. This game is usually played on Sundays and holidays on private lands in KHne deluded place, and, as it must be 6nown before a conviction can ensue thai tlie'gama. was played in a public place, those taking part in such games escape conviction. ' I: would Suggest that- the playing of 6Uch ; a game be made an offence wheresoever played."