Auckland's Crime Wave

Northern Advocate, 19 July 1949, Page 6

Auckland's Crime Wave

AUCKLAND, Tue. (P.A.)—“Though there is not a heavy list for this district, it still is indicative of a crime wave of dishonesty,”, said Mr Justice Stanton, addressing the grand jury at the opening of the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court in Auckland today.

“No doubt, with you as with the rest of us, it has been a rare experience to open a daily newspaper without finding some record of robbery and theft,” His Honour said. While 23 charges of dishonesty were set down for trial, there had been 659 cases between June,' 1948, and June, 1949, in the Supreme Court, Auckland, in which convictions were entered or pleas of guilty were recorded. The grand jury today had to consider 29 cases, involving 33 persons and

44 charges. There was one of murder, one of attempted murder, one of manslaughter and 23 for breaking, entering and theft and receiving stolen property and crimes involving dishonesty.

Emphasising the importance of finding some remedy, the judge said there were two possible avenues of effort. First was that there should be a certainty of detection and secondly a high moral standard should be upheld by parents, teachers and leaders in every section of the community. Universal condemnation of wrong conduct would always be the strongest social force that would lead a potential criminal away from crime into useful and law-abiding citizenship.