REORGANISING THE POLICE FORCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19672, 14 December 1933, Page 11

REORGANISING THE POLICE FORCE.

To the Editor ot •' The Tlmaru Herald " Sir,—There has recently been published, what I consider some wellmerited criticism of the Police Force. It is certainly not to be doubted that we have some splendid men in our Police Force, but I think it is equally not to be doubted that there is very fireat room for improvement in regard to the efficiency, organisation and administration of the force. The members of our Police Force are recruited too much for physical strength, than for a combination of physical strength and intellectual ability. A policeman must be first and last a detective. He must be very skilled in obtaining information. When he makes an investigation, it must be done immediately, and it must be thorough and complete] No detail is too small to be considered in crime. Our detectives must be men of the highest intellectual standard men of great daring, initiative and resource. No man can be a successful detective unless, he is a most skilled investigator. What about our C.I.D. Department? Are we abreast of the latest system of Scotland Yard in this respect? The interchange of members wdth the British Police is essential. It is necessary for some of our best detectives to have British experience To-day, crime is waged on such a scale that it is a most scientific business to counteract it, and put it down. The number of unsolved crimes in New Zealand of late years, and the number of crimes for which there has not been a stiong conviction, is most unfortunately becoming alarming. The number of serious crimes of late years Where juries have acquitted accused persons has been frequently discussed Mas not a prominent Supreme Court w'utgo lately commented on this? It 1 'Uld seem that the remodelling of J»ur Police Department nnd judicial I system calls for immediate attention. Neither the Commissioner of Police jior the Minister of Justice need tell **"• or try to tell us, that all is wed with the Police Force, for it certainly Is not. And this can be proved by ; reference to the facts and statistics i ..dealing with crime in this country. In Canterbury alone, we have had of late years several serious crimes for 1 which no one has ever been convicted I am convinced that the Police in this country arc not skilled investigators in Regard to serious crime. If more attention were given to petty theft, the Country would sutler less at the hands 1 of criminals, and the career of many a criminal would be checked at the i start. The public have good reason to 1 leel alarmed at the large and increasing number of unsolved cases of Serious crime in this country. A feeling

of security can only come from a most efficient, thoroughly trained and well organised Police Force. We must judge by results, by the number of successful convictions, not by the number of arrests.—l am etc., ON THE ALERT.