H.—l6.

Prosecutions of Bookmakers. The following return shows the result of prosecutions in connection with bookmaking during the year ended 31st March, 1928 :—

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, 1928 :—

Criminal Registration Branch. The finger impressions of 3,454 persons were received, classified, searched, and filed during the year ; 276 persons were identified as previous offenders, who, had it not been for the finger-print system, would have passed as first offenders ; 1,271 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the branch ; the photographs of 2,109 prisoners (7,551 photographs) were dealt with, and 624 photographs were reproduced in the Police Gazette. In fourteen cases of breaking and entering, finger-prints left by offenders when committing the crime were identified : All pleaded guilty, except two, and these two were found guilty on production of finger-print evidence in the Supreme Court. During the year the finger-print system was responsible for the identification of seventeen persons wanted by the police. The following table shows the increase in the finger-print collection since the introduction of the finger-print system of identification in March, 1903 : —

4

| Number of j Number of , Amount of Fines enoe " Prosecutions. ! Convictions. j imposed. £ Carrying on business of bookmaker .. .. 36 27 962 Keeping common gaming house .. .. 57 47 2,683 Found in common gaming house .... 1 1 2 Laying totalizator odds .. .. .. 8 8 118 Publishing betting-charts .. .. .. 3 Street betting .. .. .. .. 7 7 300 Betting with bookmaker .. .. .. 114 110 764 Totals .. .. 226 200 4,829

I I -nv ii , Number of Total Amount of Fines payable to Convictions. , Fines imposed. £ s. d. Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. .. .. 14,672 28,139 5 0 Main Highways Revenue Fund (section 24, Motor-vehicles Act, 1924) 2,741 7,162 0 6 Local Authorities (By-law offences) .. .. .. .. 2,039 2,192 19 6 19,452 £37,494 5 0

tvt i r r Prisoners J\umber 01 Increase on , A \T t\ • j • T-\ • Dr8fC6(i as Year. Prints in Previous Collection. Y„. Pg"™ 1904 .. 3,500 3,500 117 1905 .. 4,200 700 72 1906 .. 5,000 800 88 1907 .. 6,151 1,151 104 1908 .. 7,622 1,471 123 1909 .. 8,718 1,096 138 1910 .. 9,919 1,201 140 1911 .. 10,905 986 148 1912 12,097 1,192 178 1913 .. 13,552 1,455 183 1914 .. 15,302 1,750 230 1915 .. 16,682 1,380 270 1916 .. 18,134 1,452 218

Number of Increase on Prisoners Year. Prints in Previous traced as Collection. Year. „ P „ re ™ u6 Offenders. 1917 .. 19,508 1,374 1 166 1918 .. 20,982 1,474 i 132 1919 .. 22,332 1,350 153 1920 23,686 1,354 i 176 1921 .. 26,650 2,964 232 1922 .. 28,408 1,758 255 1923 30,284 1,876 292 1924 .. 31,929 1,645 289 1925 .. 33,802 1,873 267 1926 .. 35,844 2,042 292 1927 .. 37,808 1,964 255 1928 .. 1 39,409 1,601 276 ! I 1