THE POLICE AND THEIR RISKS.

West Coast Times, Issue 1675, 11 February 1871, Page 3

THE POLICE AND THEIR RISKS.

The following facts recently published show that in regard to the London police the cost to the public is considerable for compensation for injuries received by policemen in the discharge of their duties. "At the present time, 188 men permanently disabled by having been stabbed, assaulted, jumped upon, or otherwise injured by prisoners, are in receipt of peusions amounting to £5664 yearly ; the widows and children of 15 men, who died in consequence of wounds or injuries received by them from prisoners, receive pensions amounting to JE2I2 yearly; 79 men, permanently disabled by injuries accidentally received in the execution of their duty, receive pensions amounting to £2485 yearly ; and the widows and children of four men, who died in consequence of like injuries, receive £80 yearly. These figures give a total of 286 men permanently disabled by wounds or injuries received while in the execution of their duty, to whose widows and children pensions are paid amounting to £8443 per annum." Of the men thus wounded and disabled, we arc told that 80 received their injm'ies while apprehending criminals. " Fortj'-two were knocked down, kicked, and otherwise maltreated. Eighteen were permanently injured by drunken persons, nine by riotous or disorderly roughs, ? even by burglar?, six by Irish mobs, five by miscellaneous mobs, five by drunken soldiers and militia men. Six were stabbed by prisoners, one of them a convicted thief. Three were severely injured by falling while in the pursuit of thieves — one from a roof, another from a wall, a third by being tripped up to enable a thief to escape. One constable was shot by a highwayman, and another by a criminal he had brought to justice. One had his leg broken when apprehending a prisoner ; another had his wrist dislocated, and a third his knee-cap. Several were jumped upon by ruffians, kicked by prostitute. I',1 ', knocked down by runaway horses which they were trying to stop, ridden over by cabs and van«, and injured at fires by falling from ladders."