COGHLAN AND THE COPS.

NZ Truth, Issue 72, 8 December 1906, Page 1

COGHLAN AND THE COPS.

The case of Constable . O'Brien, twice tried, at time of writing, on a charge of assaulting and robbing; a man named Coghlan, as reported else--where, is one that can by no means be allowed to drop, even it a jury should exonerate that officer. It must be thrashed out m some way or the people will lose what little faith they have m Wellington's police system. 1 There can be no trust placed m a force a member of which can be placed m a position to be tried on such a series of charges as that levelled at O'Brien, and whether O'Brien eventually escapes or does not . is immater- , ial. The fact that so closely interests the public is that some policemen brut-ally assaulted a citizen, took him to a lock-up, searched Mm and took his money, and, a very short time afterwards, turned him out again, minus Pairt of the cash that had been taken from him. There is no sophis-j try capable of explaining that fact j away and the absurd suggestion that bad characters imposed upon Coghlan as policemen, dressed as policemen, assaulted him, ran him m and robbed him. is absurd on the face of it. None but policemen should have been able to sain access to Manners-street station at that hour of the night or have been able to open the cells, even if they had got into the station, .and lock up a man therein. Moreover the man was, as evidence showed, more than half juiced up and obstreperous. Are we, as sane beings, to be expected to believe that a person m such a sta^e, and protesting vehemently against what he very rightly considered a£ outrage, could have been put m by civilian rogues, kept for a while and then let' out again, without the knowledge of the occupants of the station ? It is absurd to even suggest such a, possibility, and how it could pass muster with the most thickheaded, credulous being on earth is araazine. .-■•■: This being so, it stands to reason that other policemen are all the time well aware who the constable 1 was who threw Goghlan m ; and it seems amazing that such knowledge should be suppressed. Does not the Chief of Police know who manhandled, arrested, locked up and finally turned loose a man who had onoe been under arrest and charged, as he presumably must have been— unless the police system of Wellington is run m the most haphazard, happy-go-lucky fashion ever even suggested m comic opera ? Of j course he must know, or if he is too | hiph and mighty "to bother his Scots and Scotland Yard head and dignity about such trifles, then the officer m charge of the night force, the indi^ vidual who appointed the beats that night, must be absolutely certain and should be able to swear that— if O'Brien was not shirking and had not left his beat surreptitiously, a gross breach of 'duty m a beatman— he was at certain given points on that beat at, certain fixed hours. Are the public to believe that such knowledge is not possessed, by those m authority over the Wellington guardians of the night ? If so, it is a poor look out for Wellington and the interests of the public who are taxed to support the force. Some policeman pinched Coghlan and that he knew he had done so unwarrantably and illegally he proved by releasing him very soon after. That he battered his prisoner is cer- j tain, for Coghlan went straight ito headquarters to exhibit his injuries. That he also robbed the man is almost as certain, for the complaint was made at the same time and bore every evidence of being as much m good faith as that of arrest and assault. • • • ■ . This cannot be gainsaid. It is a clear statement of facto as they stand. Whether O'Brien is the delinquent of course cannot be said, and there is no intention here to usurp the functions of a jury. What must, m common duty to the public be emphasised, however, i' that some uniformed constable treated this citizen

as has been described and that that constable's superior officer and some' of his comrades are well aware who the culprit is. This, then, argues conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice and it is to defeat and expose that conspiracy that these lines are writ-, ten. Some move must be made by the department to solve the riddle and puniah the peccant perpetrator of this shameful affair, and unless the chief takes prompt action m this direction he will inevitably convey to the public mind the impression that he is "m the know," and intends to "stick," along with his subordinates, who are apparently of the opinion that it would never do to have a policeman bowled out m crime. Mr Dinnie is a cautious Scot, and may be bidmg his time. His national shrewdness, however, should tell him that he'd no better bide a muckle ; or people may get settled m their minds a conviction that will be dreadfully uncomplimentary to the Commissioner and the whole force he controls.