TEE POLICE FORGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9512, 7 September 1891, Page 5

TEE POLICE FORGE.

The report of the Commissioner of Police for the year ending March 31 shows that the strength of the force up to that date was 492, against 494 on the same date last year, with 100 troop horses, besides which there are 10 district and 10 Native constables. The retrenchments include 5 inspectors and 1 sergeant-major, brought about by amalgamation of districts. During the year 11 men retired on compensation, 11 resigned, 4 were discharged, 2 were dismissed and 6 died. The vacancies in. the force have been almost entirely filled by transfers from the Permanent Artillery or the Prisons Department, by which, should an augmentation of the Permanent Artillery be suddenly required, the services of these trained gunners will be available, and they will be able to assist in the defence of our batteries if required. An acknowledgment is made .of the assistance rendered by the leaders of the Labour Parties daring the strike. Instructions have been issued for . more stringent supervision under the Licensing Act, especially as regards Sunday trading and closing hours. Sly grog-selling is mentioned as, perhaps, the most difficult matter the force has to deal with. The conduct of the force generally is declared to have been satisfactory, but several cases of drunkenness have had to be dealt with. Colonel Hume says s— *' It has been pointed out that the gratuity of one year’s pay on discharge is quite au inadequate reward to a man well advanced in years, after perhaps 20 or 25 years’ faithful service in the police; but it must be recollected that basides the cost of this one year’s pay on retirement, the Government has to expend ,£6OOO per annum in long service pay. A superannuation scheme was framed on the lines of the Government taking this long service pay, together with the one year’s pay allowed, as compensation, and investing them in insurance to secure every man a lump sum of £4OO, or an allowance of a little more than £1 a week if not taken in a lamp sum, on attaining the age of 65 years; but on referring the matter to the force .1 found the majority were against giving up the long-service pay, and I could not see my way to recommend the Government to grant both long-service pay while serving and a large superannuation allowance on retirement. The opinion seemed to pervade the force generally that a liberal scale of pensions should be granted; but, as pensions are discontinued in all other branches of the service, the idea could not be entertained, and the whole question of superannuation allowances had to be abandoned tor the present; but I do not intend to lose sight of it.” The proportion of police to population is 1 in 1376, and their cost per inhabitant is 2s Hid, the net expenditure for the year ended March 31 being £99,335 16s Id.