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Inspector Black, Greymouth District. The strength of the Force on the 31st March last was 1 Inspector, 5 sergeants, 31 constables, and 1 detective ; total, 38, being 1 constable short of the authorised strength of 39. The strength has been increased by an extra constable at Westport. \-:\S _The conduct of the men in this district, as a whole, has been good during the last twelve months, although in a few instances a number of constables have been fined for breaches of Police Regulations and neglect of duty. The criminal statistics for the year show an increase of 50 on previous year's total, made up principally by drunkenness, obscene and profane language, and other offences of a Jess serious nature. The total offences reported during the year were 804, out of which number 770 are accounted for by arrests and summonses, leaving 34 undetected, or about 4 per cent, on the whole.

Inspector Gillies, Christchurch District. On the 31st March last the strength of the Force was 142 men made up of all ranks as follows : Inspector, 1 ; Sub-Inspectors, 2 ; station sergeant, 1 ; sergeants, 14 ; constables, 113 ; detectives, 7 ; acting-detectives, 4. There is a surgeon and matron attached to Christchurch Station. The total number of offences reported during the year ending 31st December, 1909, was 3,652, and the number of persons apprehended or summoned was 3,492. An increase of 348 offences is shown in comparison with the return for the year 1908. During the year fines were imposed in cases prosecuted by the police for sly-grog selling amounting in the aggregate to £242. Ten cases were dealt with at Ashburton and sixteen cases at Oamaru. The utmost viligance by the local police in no-license districts is required to obtain evidence against offenders, as residents do not care to become informers or assist the police in proceedings against slygrog sellers. The conduct of the men has been, on the whole, satisfactory. lam pleased with some of the younger constables, who are taking an interest in their duty. Some of the recruits are behaving in a manner very creditable to themselves and to the Department.

Inspector O'Brien, Dunedin District. On the 31st March, last the strength of the Force in this district was, 1 Inspector, 1 Sub-Inspector, 1 station sergeant, 11 sergeants, 75 constables, 1 chief detective, 3 detectives, and 2 acting 1 police surgeon, and 1 matron. The number of offences (excluding breaches of by-laws and other trivial matters) reported to the police during the year ended 31st December last was 2,116, as compared with 2,213 for the previoiis year, showing a decrease of 97 ; and the number of persons apprehended or proceeded against by = summons during the year was 1,882. I regret again to have to remark that juveniles (persons under sixteen years) and also persons under the age of twenty-one years are responsible for many of the offences of the more serious nature. During the year there were 14 prosecutions for sly-grog selling, resulting in 9 convictions/ The fines imposed amounted to £205. A difficulty in obtaining-the necessary evidence for conviction in such cases still obtains. Many respectable residents who willingly assist the police in the detection of other offences refrain from giving assistance in this connection, on the score that they do not like the risk of being regarded as " informers." During the year the conduct of members of the Force of both branches of the service, has, with very few exceptions, been exemplary. On nearly all occasions (both day and night) sergeants and , constables have been found most attentive to their respective duties, which are many. The detective branch of the service has during the year done good work, including the solving of many questions as to persons responsible for the commission, of offences, both locally and in other parts of the Dominion, : during the preceding year.

Inspector Mitchell, Invercargill District. During the year ended 31st December last 520 offences were reported, being a marked decrease on the number—620 —for the preceding year. Of these, 484 were detected, being about 93 per cent. There were 170 cases of drunkenness, inquiry showing that the supplies of liquor had been obtained in a legitimate way from outside the no-license area. There were 12 convictions for sly-grog selling, and fines totalling £103 imposed. The strength of the Force in this district on the 31st of March-last was 1 Inspector, 4 sergeants, 31 constables, 1 detective, and 1 district constable. The conduct of members of the Force, with one or two exceptions, has been good, and they have been attentive to their duty, as evidenced by the satisfactory percentage of detected offences. Casualties here have been 3 constables transferred to and 2 from other districts.

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