CRIME IN NELSON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 20 February 1913, Page 5

CRIME IN NELSON

LAST YEAR'S STATISTICS. The last "Gazette" contains the criminal statistics showing ; the number of persons brought before the several Magistrate's Courts Jjn New Zealand during the year ending 131 st December, 1912. The Nelson Magistrate's Court dealt with 348 such cases, 141 of which were arrested arid 207 proce-sded against by summons .six of the latter cases being against females. Thirty-five of the total number were discharged for want of prosecution or want of evidence, 22 wer? dismissed on their merits, seven were committed >.fcr sentence, and five were committed } for trial. Summary convictions numbered 279. In offences against the person only Nelson was very free from crime, there being no sexual offences, and only four under the heading - "assaults and other offences," and two summonses were issued under the colunin set apart' for "burglary, housebreaking and stealing ; robbery and stealing from the person/' There were eight charges laid under "cattle and sheep stealing, theft, and other offences against property only." while for forgery' and offences against the currency a clean column is shown. Convictions against good order showed a total of 201, made up of 107 for drunkenness, 51 prohibition orders, and 43 '"owier offences." There were 63 offences relating to carrying out laws and against public welfare. The foregoing statistics indicate that Nelson still enjoys comparative freedom from serious crime.