POLICE FORCE INQUIRY

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 91, 5 July 1930, Page 5

POLICE FORCE INQUIRY

' CASE OF DISMISSAL

letter that was not fair

A MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

V WELLINGTON, July 4. Immediately the House resumed at 2.30 p.m. to-day, the Hon. J. G. Cobbc jhade a statement with regard to the resignation of the Commissioner ofPolice, (Mr Mclllveney), and also ytiih regard to th e enquiry concerning the dismissal of ex-Sergeant Bonisch frond the police force. He .said that the Commissioner’s letter df resignation, dated June 8 was received by him on Jure 30. This letter did not contain any reasons for the resignation and was not accompanied by any other memorandum. Later in the morning of June 30, a second letter was received from the Commissioner in which he' referred to the committee whtcih had been appointed to enquire into the case of the penalty inflicted on Bonisch. Prior tq the receipt of this subsequent letter it had been decided to recommend the Governor-General to accept the resignation. “The' action of the Commissioner in tendering his resignation in the manner he did* -presumably on account of exception tykejjuto a purely administrative direction in regard to the case of Bonisch, could only be regarded as ‘ ‘ holding a pistol ’at the Government, ’ • Mr Cobb Mid. “As the responsible Minister in charge , 1 was not prepared to countenance such an act. In-so-far as the Government is concerned the acceptance of the Commissioner's resignation had no other, bearing on the issue of this enquiry. .Ajs the case of Bonisch was under investigation by the committee I deemed it inadvisable, at that stage, to make any-reference to it. I now desire to state the following; facts regarding this matter. .'Bonisch was discharged from, on June 15 on the recommendation of the Commissioner of Police, approval to which was given by my predecessor in charge of the Police Department. Formal notice of appeal was sent to me by Bonisch, and numerous representations were mad e to me by other persons that this officer had been harshly dealt with. I went into the whole of a - the papers carefully myself. From these papers, and from further information received by me, I was of opinion that the punishment was too •overe, and that the case was one in which further enquiry should be made. 1 ref erred, the matter to the Public Service Commissioner and the SolicitorGeneral arid they recommended that it should be ‘Reviewed by an informal appeal board consisting of a magistrate, an ex-member of the police force and an outsider, with a view submitting a reconuaehdation to me as Minister of Justice, as, to [whether the; punishment of dismissal was, in thqir opinion, warranted. This committee was of almost

similar constitution to that provided by Statute for appeals where an appeal > could legally W made, and which would havd. haen, gyrated Bonisch, had he n, pleaded not guilty to the four charges on which he was dismissed. The report of this committee has now been received by me, but as it deals with matters of internal , administration; and with the ease of an individual officer, I do not propose, at the present time, to mak e it public, l ittay say, however, that the 'Commissioner 0 f police to the late Miu,on which he acted and recommended the dismissal ■of Bonich, did not fairly; and accurately, set out the circumstances of the case. After full enquiry theyvexpress th e opinion that the punishment of dismissal in this case, was not justified. The whole matter of the administration of the Police Force of the Dominion is receiving the earnest consideration of the Government and the Under-secretary of Justice has. in the meantime, been appointed Acting Com'missioner. Mr,H. E. Holland (Buller) asked whether it could be taken that Bonisch would be reinstated. " Mr Cobbe replied that that would be for the new to decide, but gave an assurajice that Bonisch would b e dealt with fairly