POLICE WATCH ALIENS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20489, 25 February 1941, Page 7

POLICE WATCH ALIENS

ACTIVITY IN N.S.W. MANY WARTIME TASKS SYDNEY, Feb. 7. New South Wales police have made more than 80,000 inquiries into the cases of aliens and other persons whose sympathies may have been with the enemy. Announcing this yesterday, the Chief Secretary,. Mr. Tonking, said that the police had done outstanding work since the outbreak of war, and their preparations to deal with aliens had been so carefully made that, on the declaration of war, a large number was interned immediately. Since then, the cases of 20,000 aliens, who were registered with the Aliens’ Registration Branch, had been examined.

Many police, Mr. Tonking continued, had been released to undergo training in air raid precautions. On completion of their instruction, they would train other members of the police force in the country and city.

Other police were being trained in fire-fighting so that they could act as auxiliaries to fire brigades in the event of emergency.

“In the main, this work has been made possible by the action of the police giving up a rest day each fortnight,” said Mr. Tonking. “With the equivalent of 240 additional units thus made available, it has also been possible for police to take their recreation leave.

“As the bulk of this essential, work has now been done, it has been possible, as from February 1, tp restore one of the rest days voluntarily given up by the police. It is hoped, unless some special emergency should arise, to revert to normal conditions in the near future.”