FEWER OFFENDERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19623, 18 October 1933, Page 6

FEWER OFFENDERS

POLICE COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 17. Many satisfactory features are found in the annual report of the Commissioner of the Police, Mr W. G. Wohlmann. which v»es presented in the House of Representatives to-day. “Social unrest has become less while crime generally has decreased.” says the report. The offences reported to the police totalled 35.368 compared with 36.680 in the preceding year. The number of arrests for drunkenness last year totalled 4387. a decrease of 818 on those of the previous year, making the number of arrests the lowest since 1878, at which time the population of the Dominion was 42'2.352. Last year, it was 1,536.964. During the year 137 convictions were recorded against bookmakers, the total fines from whom amounted to £45312 10s. The total fines imposed for various offences amounted to £30.985, the number of convictions being 13.889. In commenting on social unrest, the Commissioner says that there has been a marked decrease. “The small antisocial element in the communi: is evidently losing its influence with the genuine worker, who has discovered these agitators to be false friends” he says. The total strength of the permanent force at the end of the year was 1106 There is one policeman to every 1286 persons at a cost of 5 64 an inhabitant of the Dominion. The report of Inspector Bird, officer in charge of the Timaru district, states that the number of offences reported during the year ended December. 1932, was 785 against 973 the previous year, a decrease of 215 There wa no serious crime in the district during the year.