CRIMINAL CHRISTCHURCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5586, 20 January 1879, Page 5

CRIMINAL CHRISTCHURCH.

From statistics which have been compiled from the police records we are enabled to place before our readers such a statement of the criminal condition of the city of Christchurch during the three months ending Dec. 31 last, as will perhaps be of general interest. In the first column of the annexed table will be found the number of cases reported at tho police dep6t, and in the two next column# the number of arrests—male and female—which the police succeeded in making. In the two last columns will be found a comparison with the preceding quarter, and showing whether during the last three months there was an increase or a decrease. Whore no figures appear in those two columns the number in each quarter corresponded exactly.

During the quarter ending Dec. 31 last, only four warrants remained unexecuted, the offences fur which these were issued being as follows:—Uttering a forged cheque for £5, on Nov. 12,1878, at Christchurch; default of payment of penalty, £2 11s 6d, for an assault committed on Nov. 4,1878, at Christchurch; failing to provide a wife and child with adequate means of support; forging and uttering a cheque for £3 18s. This leaves a total of 26 offences committed during the quarter, for which no arrests were made, and no fewer than 17 of these are cases of larceny. In many of these petty thefts, even the property stolen is not identifiable by the owner, and the difficulty of detecting the offenders in such cases will readily be perceived.

J 1 ! I M Ap. re- ' leaded. M. F. c* . 4, i V ; U > 9 3 Anon Assaults 4 4 3 7 7 _ 1 Assault! on Constables 15 15 a Attempted felony I Absent from ahiu ... 2 breach of— Prisons Act 2 Contagious Disease Act 2 2 2 Destitute Persons Act 11 10 Hallway By-laws 4 4 _. 1 Vagrant Act 51 47 7 7 Peace 6 6 Police Ordinance 10 8 2 10 Breaking and stealing from— Shop Public building 1 1 2 Dwelling S 1 1 3 Cattle stealing ... Contempt of Court.., 2 2 2 2 Default of payment 3 2 3 Drunkenness... 155 118 37 19 Deserting from Mcht. Service ... 4 4 4 Forgery and uttering 5 2 2 Indecent assault ... 1 I 1 Larceny, petty- ... 21 10 5 Larceny, 8 - 4 a Lunacy ..I t'"' ' ... 19 15 3 — Malicious injury 6 5 _ 9 Manslaughter I 1 1 ■Meglected children... . 4 3 1 1 JPoiioxy ... > 1 1 — Kape ... ... 1 1 Bobbery from the person 2 — ‘i Bobbery, highway - __ — — 2 Sacrilege — — — 1 Stealing from the person 2 1 £ Wounding with intent — — — — 1 Totals 360 275 53 5£ Si