POLICE SPIES.

NZ Truth, Issue 253, 30 April 1910, Page 4

POLICE SPIES.

"Truth" is not the only newspaper m New- Zealand that has risen m its wrath against the iniquitous methods of the police m obtaining convictions for breaches of the Licensing .Act. The "Westport News" is of much 1 the same opinion as "Truth," and so wholesome are the recent reflections by the "Times" on Westport police methods that "Truth" gives the article referred to the wider hospitality of its columns ?— "The public have every reason to view with concern the tactics adopted by the police to gain convictions against publicans, as disclosed by the evidence given on a recent court day. A policeman, it appears, attired m plain clothes, visited various licensed premises and under pretence of being a thirsty traveller, not only illegally obtained drink himself but induced others also on the premises to drink with him, m one case the man who was asked to join the policeman being already m liquor. It is only fair to mention that Inspector Black, while otherwise apparently approving of the methods adopted by the plain-clothed policeman, wiio acted under his instructions, disapproved of the man's actions m inducing a man m liquor to add to his load. But it seems to us that the police, methods,, m seeking to obtain convictions, are wrong. Their duties are, not to create, but to prevent crime. They are not expected to take up the role of tempters. Convictions gained at such a price are dearly bpught. Everyone knows that there are ; publicans who, merely for the greed of gain, are continually breaking the law, and bringing disrepute on the publicans generally, but the police methods are not the methods to improve •matters. They may nexfr employ boy decoys to induce lads to -rob orchards or steal from bouses or shops, and then turn round and obtain convictions against them. This may be a way of preventing crime, but it looks more like creating rt, and must at all events create a most undesirable distrust m one's fellows. If such tac- ■ tics as the police employ are approved of, New Zealand may very •soon become a spy-ridden land like Russia, where freedom, such as Britons know and enjoy, is practically an unknown quantity. These tactics do not appeal at all to a sense of British fair play. Several Magistrates have refused to convict under such circumstances. We all recognise the fact that the police have a difficulty m suppressing illicit trading m liquor, but their difficulty does not, to the way of thinking even of men hostile to the trade, justify tactics that induce crime to obtain convictions. They tend to create evils greater than those they seek to eradicate."