POPULARITY WANING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26540, 15 August 1947, Page 5

POPULARITY WANING

SERVICE IN POLICE FORCE N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 8.30 p.m. LONDON, Aug. 14. Five reasons for the increase in crime in Britain are given by the Inspectors of Constabulary in their annual report for 1946, just issued. They are:—First, the whereabouts ol many criminals are not known because of changes caused by the war; secondly, a new and younger group of criminals, many of whom were not previously known to the police, are now operating; thirdly, the scarcity of many goods made them easily disposable at high prices on the black market; fourthly, the tendency of many members of the public, “for reasons on which it is not for us to comment,” to hoard large sums in cash instead of lodging them in banks; fifthly, an insufficient number of . police officers available for beat duty. The report stated that the number of policemen who were resigning before becoming eligible for pensions was causing concern. This tendency appeared to be due to a belief that police service no longer compared favourably with other less irksome occupations. There was undoubtedly uneasiness in the force and little aontchtment of mind.