WORK OF THE POLICE

Otago Witness, Issue 3418, 19 September 1919, Page 25

WORK OF THE POLICE

DECREASE OF OFFENCES. (Feom Ouk Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 16. Iho criminal statistics contained in the annual report of the Commissioner of Police show that during the past year there was an aggregate net decrease of 2657 offences reported, compared with the previous 12mcnthly period. The proportion of offences to the population was 1.64 per cent., as against 1.89 in the previous year. The two offences showing the most considerable increases were theft (207) and malicious injury to property (115). The most considerable decreases wore drunkenness (1571 oases), vagrancy (253), failure to maintain wives and families (261), and desertion from ships (155). The total number of offences reported for the dominion wa3 19,067, of which 18,043 resulted in arrests or the issue of summonses. Those listed as serious crimes numbered 616, of which 526 resulted in arrests, as compared with 644 and 518 respectively for the previous year, so that there were 28 fewer serious offences reported, while those in which no arrests were made decreased from 126 to 90. The indecent and sexual offences decreased from 445 to 345. There were 130 prosecutions for sly grog-selling during the year, resulting in 97 convictions, as against 133 prosecutions and 118 convictions during the preceding year. The fines imposed on sly grog-sellers amounted to £1396, as- against £1632 during the previous 12 months. The direct cost to the department in detecting and prosecuting sly grog-sellera was £361, this being £1035 less than the amount of the fines imposed. "During 1918 the finger impressions of 2223 prisoners were received, classified, searched, and filed by the police, and 153 prisoners were identified as previous offenders in the dominion, Australia, Britain, America, and elsewhere. One thousand one hundred and fifteen photographs were taken by the photographers attached to this branch. The portraits of 1042 prisoners were dealt with, and 368 photographs of discharged prisoners were reproduced in the Police Gazette. On March 31 the fingerprint collection consisted of the impressions of 22,332 offenders, being an increase of 1350 over the figures for the previous year. For the year. 1917 the police of all ranks in the dominion, temporary and permanent, numbered 898, being 1 to each 1280 of the population. For 1918 the total had increased to 901. being Ito each 1274. The cost per head of the population increased from 4s 3d to-4s 6£d. The position for 1919 is that there are 878 of all ranks, being 1 to 1319 of the population, and the cost .5s 2£d per head of population. Superintendent Dwyer, of Christchurch. states in his annual report:—"l would again draw attention to the necessity _ for the necessity for applying the provisions of the Second-hand Dealers' Act to all bicycle dealers, as the traffic, that is carried on by some of these dealers in stolen bicycles is becoming a verv serious matter, and it would materially help the police in their work of prevention and detection if bicycle dealers had to obtain a license in the same manner as second-hand dealers have to do and to koep a book in which all bicycles bought or exchanged were recorded." Several superintendents refer to the practice of some persons of borrowing motor cars for joy rides without the consent of the owners, and urge that it be made a criminal offence.