THE POLICE FORCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9437, 7 August 1889, Page 5

THE POLICE FORCE.

[nv telegraph:—SPEClAL CORRKSPOXDKN'T.]

Wklijxerox, Tuesday. Tiik annual report on the New Zealand Police Force was laid on the table to-day. The strength of the force on the 31st March, 188'.), was 484, exclusive of 14 district and 11 native constables. There has been a decrease of 10 in native constables, many of them being found useless. Two new stations had been opened during the year, one at. Mahikapawa and one at Middlemarch on the Otago Central line. The criminal statistics for the year ending December, 1888, shows as usual a decrease in the gross total of offences, there being a decrease of GBO in the North Island, and IV.j in the South Island. There has boon an increase, however, in the offences of breaking and entering shops and houses, burglary, cattle ami horse stealing, and a decrease in arson and various other offences. The increase in house-breaking and burglary is supposed to be due to the fact that we have now to deal with a well -organised gang of expert, thieves, known as "speeiers." These men are the result of the numerous small race meetings, where they congregate to swindle the unwary. The result of the retrenchment and amalgamation of police districts has been satisfactory, and has not impaired efficiency, but the force is now re duced to the lowest limits consistent with efficiency. The police force is becoming increasingly popular with young colonists, and during the last 12 months nearly half the recruits were of colonial birth, and were superior to the ordinary class of candidates in education, intelligence, and physique. The detective system is very unsatisfactory, for though there aro many good officers there are also many useless men. Major Gudgeon, to remedy this, proposes that in future the men should be simply employed as plain-clothes constables, receiving detective allowance. The present system of appointing men to the permanent office of detective makes them careless and lazy. A plain-clothes constable, on the other hand, is only employed so long as he is capable, and he is thus spurred to exertion. Arrangements had been made for a system of examination for the force, divided into two parts, junior and senior, a pass in the former making a man eligible as first-class constable, and a pass in the latter qualifying him for sergeant. The general conduct of the police force has been good.