THE DETECTIVE FORCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18445, 5 January 1922, Page 5

THE DETECTIVE FORCE

DETECTIVE SERGEANT CUMMINGS’ PROMOTION. % DISSATISFACTION EXPRESSED. . (Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 4. The Detective Force throughout the dominion is understood to -mo in a state of grave dissatisfaction as the result of the appointment by ex-Commissioner J. O’Donovan of Detective Sergeant /Cummings, of Auckland, to the rank of chief detective, over the heads of seven other detective sergeants and a large number of uniform men with seniority of service. Detective Sergeant Cummings joined the Police Force in September, 1906, and has thus/ completed 15 years’ service. The detective sergeants wiho have been passed over have all completed longer periods of service, and consider no reasons exist why their junior should be promoted ahead of them, “If tho appointment of Mr Cummings, is allowed to stand there will be a wholesale crop of resignations from the Detective Force,” remarked a ddtectivo this morning to a Star representative, “This is a serious matter from the point of view of the public, because once you have a dissatisfied Police Force, the efficiency of the men is at once reduced. We feel it is no use doing our best, if we are going to bo passed over in this way.” The Detective Force has been considerably weakened during the past 18 months by resignations. Recent resignations have included Chief Detective Ward, Detectives Torrance, Black, Scott, Carney, and Mason, of Wellington, O’Connor, of Christchurch, and Cullen, of Auckland. It has been quite usual during the past few months for men to be sent straight from the training depot in Wellington to the different detective branches.