V

H.—2

Each rank is divided into three classes, the number of each of which Vras, on 31st March last, as follows :— First Class. Second Class. Third Class. Inspectors ... ... ... ... 6 1 Sergeants, including two sergeants-major ... 24 14 18 Constables ... ... . . ... i 26 115 2r6 Etete'ctives ... ~, ... ... 4 4 o

Rank and Service. The service of each rank on 1st February, 1898, is shown in following table:-

District Constables. In addition to the regular Police Force, of which the numbers have been given, there are fifteen district constables, six of whom are in the Auckland, three in the Wellington, two in the Nelson, and one in each of the other districts. These men are residents in localities where there is no regular police officer, who have been sworn in as constables, and who receive a small salary in respect of their being occasionally called upon to perform local police duty. They wear no uniform, are not liable to be transferred, and are under but little supervision. They are useful in the absence of regular police, but are regarded as a " makeshift/ and will disappear as settlement advances, and the Force becomes stroug enough in numbers to supply their places with trained constables. Increase of Strength necessary. The department has not kept pace with the growth of the colony in population and settlement, and to meet present requirements a considerable increase of the strength of the Force is necessary, notwithstanding that sixty men have been added to it during the last two years. In each of the large towns the number of constables on street duty is, in the opinion of the local Inspectors, below the requirements, while there is no reserve to fill temporary vacancies caused by men being employed on special duty, such as the escort of prisoners from place to place, attending the Courts, races, and other public gatherings, absence on leave and sickness; these and many other matters reduce very seriously the number of constables available for ordinary street duty, so that the " beats " in the cities are frequently unfilled. The evidence shows it not to be an unusual circumstance for the number of constables on street duty to be about half the number required to occupy the beats of the cities ■ indeed, in all the towns we visited we heard of the beats not being filled,

Ranks. •-i CN CO dm 3 cj £* |* rH CM o , o . CO w HI CO -rtf to t- ° ° m -a CO j hi CO v. CO ® >H to >H N !* 10 o 00 o OS I O 10 O iO - r " t 1-1 G* CS1 -3 . o . o . 0.0. to ! -*a w -P sd +» to -*5 « (3 w d y «3 mcSweS £* J* £* £* £* rr> *Z ° © CO OS r-i rH . OI O CO O . *= OT CO *- w c3 eg 0 -a a . <3 m §1 * I o CO Total. tInspectors— First-class Third-class ... Sergeants-major Sergeants— First-class Second-class... Third-class ... Constables— First-class . Second-class... Third-class ... Detectives— First-class Second-class ... Third-class ... Fourth-class ... ... "2 7 1 4 6 11 1 "l 6 4 6 5 "i 8 6 1 2 18 12 24 "l 68 "i 31 i 8 2 17 "i 19 4 35 12 34 62 45 4 11 7 7 101 114 240 31 12 21 ii . . . 10 ' 1 2 1 2 1 4 3 3 5 2 "i "i 3 i Total 69 31 32 12 21 11 11 20 21 13 53 74 21 107 37 533