ELSIE WALKER CASE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 78, 1 March 1929, Page 2

ELSIE WALKER CASE

INQUIRY INTO POLICE METHODS. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Feb. 28. When the inquiry concerning the police methods in the Elsie Walker case was resumed to-dav another solicitor appeared, Mr H. O- Coon ? J '’ presenting Constable Jackson, who figured largely in the original inquiries regarding the Elsie Walker mystery. Discussing the instructions issued to the various police stations to prosecute inquiries along certain lines, Mr Gurrie, counsel for the Crown, said that when it came to a scrutiny of the: replies received it would be seen that the directions given were inadequate. Some of the replies were very perfunctory. The indication was that the inquiries at some garages were lnsufhCl< Mr E. Page, S.M. (the commissioner): Why do you suggest that the document relates to garages only. Mr Currie said that it failed to indicate to the police that inquiries should be made at private places where benzine could be procured in addition to garages. Some policemen had obviously gone only to garages. Mr Currie produced an anonymous letter and asked the chief detective wliat had been done about it. The latter replied that the letter was signed “F.R.F.” and was written to the inspector and said that Mr I age might know something. Mr Page had already been seen, but instructions were given to make further inquiries. The commissioner subjected the chief detective to a series of searching questions. Witness said that where a body was found in circumstances which might indicate death from foul play, or from natural causes, the body should not be removed till it had been seen by experts. Each case must bo left to the individual officer based on his individual experience. Sometimes that officer was a country constable. He thought that tho constable under the circumstances was justified in tho opinion that the girl had died either from natural causes or by suicide. The body had been lying there for a week and would have become decomposed. In the circumstances it was wise to shift the body. The brief to the Coroner did not suggest death by foul play.