POLICE SENIORITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27112, 21 June 1949, Page 6

POLICE SENIORITY

CASE OF ACCELERATION INJUNCTION BEING SOUGHT PA WELLINGTON, June 20. " A Supreme Court injunction is being sought to prevent the Commissioner of Police from retaining in the position to which he has been advanced a certain member of the Police Force. The proceedings have been started by other members of the force who have been superseded. Notice of their intention to apply for the injunction was served this afternoon. , A member of the force, Senior,Detective William Raymond Fell, of Auckland, has been accelerated in seniority by four years though not actually promoted, and the purpose of the proceedings is to prevent the commissioner from acting further in the matter and to have the person concerned replaced in the order of seniority he formerly occupied. About 54 members of the force are directly affected and many of them indirectly. It is understood, that the applicants for the injunction are about 27 individual members of the force who are affected by the commissioner’s action. It is also understood that the applicants will be represented in court by Mr J. Meitner and that the Solicitorgeneral, Mr H. E. Evans, K.C., will appear in reply. Mr Meltzer is also secretary of the New Zealand Police Association, which met to-day to consider the proceedings and decided to adopt a watching policy. The Commissioner, Mr Cummings, said to-night, that the proceedings were served on the department this afternoon. The notice passed through his hands and was sent on to the Solicitor-general. The matter is set down for hearing to-morrow morning, but will be adjourned.