CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3929, 19 September 1874, Page 3

CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS. TO THE EDITOR.

_ Sir.—Your leader in to-day's paper calls attention to a matter well deserving of consideration, namely, the employment of professional assistance on behalt of the Crown in what are commonly called Police cases. But the subject is attended with much: difficulty. In, order to give effect to the plan proposed, it would-be necessary to confer': upon, the-counsel appointed, to some extent at least, the powers and authority of a judge, fpr he would' have to institute a preliminary investigation, to sift and weigh the evidence before the prosecution could be commenced, All this would entail expense and loss of time, and. I apprehend it is for these reasons that the practice prevailing here has been retained at home. And upou the whole,the practice works fairly; in special cases counsel are always employed by the real prosecutor, and for the average run of cases the police officer in charge is generally sufficiently accomplished. Those officers, wlio have had a fair education, and who have had much experience, acquire an amount of skill and practical knowledge which, far from being " skimpy," is such, as many legal men might envy. The present Sub-Inspector in Dnnedin, and others in different parts of the Colony, -will, £ am sure, We found fully equal to thutask imposed uj on ihciti, and quite up to the average of the superior officers in the old country. I have only to add that nt home in ca; os of importance, where a private prosecutor does not

employ counsel, it is usual to do so on behalf of the Crown.— I am, &c., " X.

Dunedin, September 17. [If our correspondent will re-read our remarks he will find that they contain no reflection on the Police. We go further than our correspondent when we say that the officers hero are considerably above the average of the same class at home.— Ed. O.D.T.]