NO MAJOR CRIME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 57, 9 March 1946, Page 7

NO MAJOR CRIME

COMMISSIONER’S COMMENT (P.A.) Wellington, March 7. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. .1. Cummings, commenting on further reports of burglaries in Wellington, said these might give rise to the impression that a major wave of safe-blowing and other breaking and entering crimes existed in Wellington. There had been a number of such offences in Wellington, he said, but they were nlaced in their true perspective when it was known that they had occurred over a period of months. In a number of cases the culprits had been caught and dealt with by the courts. “Sometimes when a man appears before the court, on breaking and entering charges, only the major crimes are preferred against him and the others are mentioned when he is sentenced," said Mr. Cummings. He also pointed out that children are sometimes responsible for such offences, and when thev are dealt with by the children's court no publicity was given to the fact, giving rise to a false impression that crimes committed and publicised at the time remain unsolved. Mr. Cummings stated a few days ago that there had been only a s'xdit increase in major crime in New Zealand—an increase which he attributed to the aftermath of the war, exactly similar to conditions that prevailed after 1914-18 war.