POLICE AND CITIZENSHIP

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6970, 9 November 1909, Page 4

POLICE AND CITIZENSHIP

Tho City Council, we understand, intends to wait upon tho Minister for Justice and make representation’s with regard to the police discharging their duty in reference to traffic, street obstruction and defilement with rubbish, carting over footpaths, and so forth. It seems to be very clear, if tho experiences of other countries are taken into consideration, that in matters of this kind there should he some degree of cooperation between central and local authority. It is also manifest that if tho Police Offences Act were capably administered there would not bo so much cause of complaint as exists in Wellington at tho street traffic being practically unsupervised and tho law supposed to chock dust and garbage being thrown on the streets allowed to become inoperative. For this reason it is to bo hoped tho Minister will take a more common-sense view of the police function, and he prepared to break down the wall which has hitherto separated the department from the municipality. At any rate, it may ho expected that if he cannot meet the Council in all of its requests at once ho will advance some more valid reasons for tho inaction of the jmlice than have been previously put forward. The uniformed police arc in tho best possible position for coping with the class of offences under notice, and if it were known that they were on tho alert to detect offenders that fact alono would lead to a very considerable diminution in tho number of such breaches. The impunity with which the regulations may now he broken is 1 quite naturally a direct incitement to acts of disobedience against rules designed for tho maintenance of good government. The constables who perambulate the footpaths would not, wo imagine, ho overweighted with responsibility if they were directed to report evasions of the Police Offences Act, and citizens, realising that their personal safety and comfort were not altogether disregarded, would have cause to welcome tho change. An active policeman is much preferable to one who is merely statuesque.