THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Thursday, February 6, 1947. CRIME AND DETECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26379, 6 February 1947, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Thursday, February 6, 1947. CRIME AND DETECTION

The growing public perturbation at the steadily mounting incidence of crimes against human life in this country has been summarised in the expression of concern voiced by a grand jury at Hamilton, a representative group of citizens which has recorded its opinion that “ the restoration of capital punishment would act as a deterrent.” Whether a return to the Mosaic law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth would, in fact, deter the potential killer from committing, or attempting, the crime of murder is a question to which no conclusive answer can be given. It may be argued that the emotional strain engendered by six years of war—and not the fear of consequences—has been the principal factor in breaking down the inward restraints that have formerly discouraged evil-doers from the extreme in personal violence. Whatever the explanation may be, the truth remains that the people of New Zealand are concerned —and vitally concerned — at the alarming number of attempts that, in the past few years, have been made on the lives of citizens, and it is time that earnest consideration was given to the problem of ascertaining whether the Crimes Amendment Act of 1941, which substituted life imprisonment with hard labour for,, the death penalty, is an adequate safeguard to the sanctity of human life.

A disquieting corollary to the increase in cases of murder and attempted murder is that a by no means inconsiderable number of criminals succeed in escaping any penalty whatever, and the resources of the police force are not sufficient to ensure that all those who commit or attempt the crime of murder are brought to trial. In 1940 there were reported in New Zealand four cases of murder and one of attempted murder. In each case the criminals were tried. To-day, the picture is vastly different. In 1944 there were 20 murders and eight cases of attempted murder. Four of the murders were, officially at least, never solved. In 1945 there were again 20 murders and seven instances of attempted murder. Only 11 arrests were made in the |2O murder cases. These figures suggest that, irrespective of circumstances which may or may not have contributed towards the increase in capital offences, there.is an urgent need for a review of the methods of crime detection employed in New Zealand. The police, in investigating charges of murder, frequently have to carry out arduous, pains-' taking and extremely exacting inquiries, and the fact that they are being outwitted by some clever criminals emphasises the need for officers trained in the most modern methods of investigation. The latest report of the Commissioner of Police expresses uneasiness at the frequency with which criminals are found in unlawful possession of firearms, and this, in itself, is sufficient to warrant urgent measures to cope with possible attempts to use them. This will entail securing the proper types of men and having them trained in the methods which have been employed successfully in homicide investigation bureaux overseas, thereby relieving other members of the force from the thankless task of undertaking work for which their training and experience have not fully equipped them.