THE NELSON POLICE SCANDAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 44

THE NELSON POLICE SCANDAL.

(From Ocb Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, August 26

Correspondence and reports in connection with the charges against various police officers stationed at Nelson, together with the result of the inquiry held by the Commissioner of police, and the decision, of the Cabinet thereon, were submitted to Parliament to-day, and, on Mr Graham's motion, are to be printed. The paper is a bulky document of 287 pages of typewritten foolscap, which it Irculd take one some hours to read.

Commissioner Tunbridge, in a memo, to the Minister of Justice, dated March 24, reports: — "None of the proved charges against Sergeant MacKay are of a serious character, the most serious being omitting to enter in the station diary or to report to hia inspector the particulars of the occurrences referred to in those charges. The question is whether those cases of neglect or oinistwon unlit the sergeant "for the charge of a station. He has been a sergeant bince 189 1 !-, and ha*i boon in charge of Ne'.soTi since September 10, 1898, and has neyer before been punished for misconduct as a sergeant, th i laet complaint recorded against him being on the 22nd April, 1890, when he wa3 reprimanded. On the othor hand, he has eight records of merit on his sheet, two of ths-io reoorcls being for saving persons from drowning in the Auckland Harbour. Under these cir cum stances I am of opinion that to remove this officer from tho charge of a station and place him on the streets in one of the large centres would bo too great a punishment, and. unless the charge* against him are considered serious enough to warrant his removal from the ohargc of a station, there appears to be no reason why he should be removed from Nelson, as he would be equally as liable to repeat similar instances of neglect or omidsion at any other station as at Nelson. For the foregoing reasons I have not recommended hia transfer. If, however, it is decided to remove him, Pa'.merston North station will soon bo vacant owing to the impending retirement of Sergeantmajor Ramsay, through having reached the age limit, and he could be sent there.

" With respeot, however, to tho removal of this sergeant, 1 desire to bring under your notice a letter, dated 13th iast., received by me from the Mayor of Nelson, together with the fact that on the 18th inst., a deputation, consi-ting of Air Baitrent, J.P., Mayor of Nelson, Mr W. T. Bond, J.P., Mr G. G. Rout, J.P., and Dr Gibbb, waite.d on mo at the Nelson pohe« station, while I was there engaged in holding the inquiry, to express thpir high appreciation of the manner in whinh the poln c work of Nelbon bad bepn carried out since Sf-rgeant M.uKay has been iv charge- at Nelson, and they tiuited tho sergeant would not bo rt'movwj, uiile.^3 tho inquiry disclosed offences against him which lustihod his remo\<il. They w< nt nu to Btat-> that they feared the sergeant innfif be icmovcd under any {•'iiiunstcnce'-, as it \\n o well known that a resident, who was btippoi-cd to ha\ c great influence, with " tlie powers that be," had boasted m the hotels about Nelson that he wi/u'd get the sci^i-ant removed from XcUon. Tney pointed out how impossible it woulil be for the ])olice to do their duty it it Ix mine su>peeted oven that they could b^ roiiiovtti at the nill of (jcr^oiift such as tiniao indicated. I Sfuve the deputation no nit .uiatjon as to what would be the probable outLOimt of the inquiry, and they did nor seek to know. The deputation stated that they \oiced ;i emisiderable section of the Xelw,n eomniui'ity, and I liave reason to know that Mi Grahau. the member for the ch«lm-t, shares tho opinion of the ffntlrriit'ii forming th<- deputation.

"A 1 - nl-cardsn 1 -cards ('onstab.es Durbmlge. Kemp, and Jiuni-li, 1 think )L would b« as well if ilio-e n.ui were removed to oth«T station*. 'I in- t'\o fi/r.ntr .ijiprar to have Ivcoinc too fairihar \. ith certain election-, of the (ominuiiity at Nelson, and jiurrt'll and Dur bridge ha 1 , o, 1 fear. Lien too ready with their li.m.da. Tii > c-oinplamU against them, ho«c\er, of a&eiults were of somewhat remote date, and as the per-ons aggrie\ecl lid tin it propt-r rc-medy before a court (tlie offence alleged hein^ a statutory one), where the evidence oonld have been taken on oath, I did not ooiiskW it n^lit to go iiiio "jcli mat tors at a departmental inquiry, w-l-'.rc; the c\ii.Line i> not on oath arid wl.cie private person- r,n s?y what thuy choo-(> with nit fc;ir of the tonsrquen'-ps.

. . The inquiry al=o dj'-closes thrfac t that C'instjL'lo Ktcl n.adc a frivokus fli.irso . ca nst STtcai't JlaoKay. which the <_>\ .denci* pro\ ed to bu baseless.

"'Jrtk.ng all tho ( irt umstaa^fs into con si'icranon. I n.M 'if opinion that oilier stauon3 should be iound for Coiutables .bird

and Williams, as well as Durbridge, iLemp, and Burrell. irrespective of whether or not Sergeant MacKay remains at Nelson. The romaining two constables (M'Grath and Fanthorpo), the latter just trausfeired to i\elson, I think, should be allowed to remain." In Cabinet on the 13th April it was resolved as follows: — "Sergeant MacKay 10 be removed from Nehon, and not to have charge of a station for six months thereafter ; Constables Burrell and Durbridge to be called upon to resign ; Constable Kemp to be removed from kelson, and all other parties engaged in the quarrel to be removed."