H.—l6.

Growth of Department. The following return shows the growth of the Department, the population, and the total number of offences (irrespective of by-law offences) reported, and in which arrests or summonses resulted, at each tenth year since 1877, prior to which date each province in the Dominion had its own Police Force. The figures for 1939, 1940, and 1941, are also shown : —

Police Prosecutions.

The following is a return of the number of convictions for which fines were imposed and the total amount of such fines in respect of prosecutions instituted by the police during the year ended 31st March, 1941.

Criminal Registration Branch. At Headquarters during the year the finger impressions of 3,055 persons were received, classified, indexed, and filed ; 2.19 persons were identified as previous offenders who, had it not been for the fingerprint system, would have passed as first offenders ; 1,890 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the Branch ; the photographs of 2,727 prisoners (4,941 photographs) were received and dealt with ; 784 photographs were reproduced in the Police Gazette; 15 wanted persons located ; and 1 unknown deceased person identified by finger-prints. Finger-prints left by offenders when committing 23 crimes were identified as belonging to 14 persons, who were prosecuted. All pleaded guilty with the exception of one, who was convicted at the Supreme Court on finger-print evidence. In one of the cases mentioned above two portions of finger-prints were found on an oak desk at the scene where a safe had been blown open and its contents stolon. A search in the single finger-print collection revealed corresponding impressions belonging to a previous offender. As it was considered unlikely that this person would use explosives, arrangements were made to have him watched, which led to the discovery that he was consorting with a well-known safe-blower. Through this information the notorious safe-blower, with another man, was located during the following week-end, and both arrested for being in possession of housebreaking instruments and explosives at night, for which offence they were lyrth sentenced to terms of imprisonment. A few days after this arrest the person whose finger-prints had been identified was arrested, but in the meantime his prints had been found to agree with those from various premises which had been feloniously entered. After having denied all knowledge of these crimes he was finally found guilty and sentenced for six charges of burglary, the principal evidence in each case being that of finger-prints. Finger-prints of 249 persons were received for inquiry from other countries, of which 36 were identified as those of persons previously convicted in New Zealand ; the finger impressions of 66 New Zealand offenders were sent overseas for inquiry, 29 being identified as having been previously convicted outside this Dominion. It is interesting to note that in New Zealand the finger-print system has, to date, been responsible for the identification of 7,691 persons. In conjunction with the Arms Bureau, various photographs and lecture slides were prepared.

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■S <3 . Offences Arrests for §ja ® o tj t j. Cost per p.™. where Drunkenness Year. « SO -fc 3 Total. T> 01 , ce .. 0 Inhabit- Population. e 'l e f Arrests or (included in « 1 I Population. anfc> reported. Summonses offences ® >° S " o resulted. reported"). ' o fcj Q o 1878 25 90 14 329 458 1 to 944 * 432,352 14,157 13,959 6,668 1888 13 69 17 388 487 1 to 1,328 3/lf 646,913 12,897 11,854 5,387 1898 7 56 16 457 536 1 to 1,435 2/8 768,910 16,378 14,730 5,532 1908 15 j 83 32 604 734- 1 to 1,331 3/2J 977.215 23,510 22,484 10,343 1918 20 1111 38 732'j" 901 1 to 1,274 4/6| 1,147,391 19,067 18,043 7,228 1928 23 H27 54 913f 1,117 1 to 1,301 5/9 1,453,517 33,138 30,622 6,601 1938 26 145 93 l,164f1,428 1 to 1,123 7/6 1,604,479 44,308 41,618 5,446 1939 27 148 91 1,173+1,439 1 to 1,129 7/5-| 1,624,714 46,378 43,162 5,935 1940 27 149 90 1,19111,457 1 to 1,126 7/8h 1,640,901 45,009 41,619 5,470 1941 28|155 97 l,229f 1,509 1 to 1,084 7/llj 1,636,230 * Not obtainable. f Includes temporary constables.

,, , Number of Total Amount of Fines payable to Convictions. Fines imposed. £ s. d. Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. .. .. 19,449 44,627 16 3 Local authorities (by-law offences) .. .. .. . . 319 223 4 0 Total .. .. .. .. 19,768 £44,851 0 3