CRIME IN THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17267, 17 September 1919, Page 11

CRIME IN THE NORTH.

THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT. PAST YEAR REVIEWED. DECREASE ON MANY COUNTS. [BT TKLKGRAIr-H. SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Trie annual report of Superintendent N. "ie!y. Erin-charge of the Auckland j Polict- District, which is appended to the j general report presented to Parliament to-dav states that the total number of cffenc?s reported for the year was 4295. £.• compared with 4745 in the previous year, a net decrease of 450. Of the total number of offences reported, over 95 per cent, were accounted for by either arrest p»" summons. The following are the principal increases End decreases : — Increases.—Common assaults, 26: assaults on police, 14; breaches of the jiire. 62 disobeying order of Court and summonses, 60; false pretences. 24; malicious injury to property. 37 ; mischief, £8; neglected and criminal children, 22; receiving stolen goods, 15; sly-grog selling. 12: attempted suicide. 12 ; theft. 169, theft from dwellings. 28Decreases—Abusive. insulting. " or threatening words or behaviour. 44; carnally knowing girls, 27; cruelty to i nimals. 36 ; deserting or absenting from merchant vessels. 88; drunkenness. 320: failing to provide adequate maintenance, TO; illegally on premises. 31; incest. 12: ii decent exposure or behaviour. 39: keeping disorderly house, 11 : obscene, and rrofane language. 46; soliciting prostitution. 36 ; vagrancy, 29. In respect to the decreases of offences the most noticeable com** under the heading of drunkenness. 320, and failing to provide adequate maintenance, 170. Both *re no doubt, attributable to war conditions, the former to 6 o'clock closing, and the latter to the number of indifferent I husbands who have been absent with the Expeditionary Forces, and whose wives have been drawing their allotments and reparation allowances. "I cannot say that the district has been free from serous (-rime altogether, said (superintendent Kiely. "but I am pleased to be in a posi'.iou to report that very few cases have gone undetected, which, in itself, is satisfactory, considering the tinder-staffed condition, and the enormous amount of work the police have been called upon to perform for other Government Departments. THE HAMILTON DISTRICT. SI, V GROG SALES CONTINUE. [BT TELEGRAPH —-SPKCIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Inspector Xhc-'.han, reporting for the Hamilton police district, during the past year, stotee that the offence.'" return .-now? that 1562 offences were reported, c' mp;ired with 1556 for the previous year, nn increase of nix. The increases appear under the iollowin- principal heads:—Abusive and threatening behaviour. 20: assaults, common. 10; assaults, indecent, 12: breaches of the peace 10; malicious injury to pro-:-'rtv. 20 : mischief. 14 : obscene laiffuage. 14: sly grog selling. 19. The decreases appear under the follow ins heads .—-Counselling the commission «-' an offence. 12: drunkenness. 61: false pretences. 18: forgery. 17: theft. 18; theft from dwellings. 11: vagrancy. 18. of the 1562 offences reported. 1498. or over 95 per cent. were accounted for the; by arrest or summons. Sty erog-selling is still rife in parts of ] t ; <> King Country, notwithstanding the i heavy penalty inflicted on the culprits I v ■)pv detected. Rut owing to the large I profit* made in the sales, no matter how I active the police ."ire in endeavouring to ■ ope with it. the trade is still carried on. T mes amounting to £569 were imposed dnrmg the vear for sly grog-selling.