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Prosecutions of Bookmakers. The following return shows the result of prosecutions in connection with bookmaking during the year ended 31st March, 1929 : —

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, 1929 : —

Criminal Registration Branch. The finger-impressions of 2,934 persons were received, classified, searched, and filed during the year ; 208 persons were identified as previous offenders who, had it not been for the finger-print system, would have passed as first offenders ; 1,233 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the branch ; the photographs of 2,130 prisoners (7,494 photographs) were dealt, with, and 656 photographs were reproduced in the Police Gazette. In twenty-one cases of breaking and entering, finger-prints left by offenders when committing the crime were identified. All pleaded guilty except one, who strongly denied having committed the offence of breaking and entering a shop and theft of a safe and its contents (about £70). The only evidence to connect the accused with the premises on the night of the crime was finger-prints, which were found at the shop the following morning. The accused was found guilty of breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime, but before sentence" was passed he, by leave of the Court, showed the police and other officers where the missing safe had been, hidden. During the year the finger-print system was responsible for the identification of twenty-one 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 : —

Offence Number of Number of ! Amount of Fines Prosecutions. Convictions. | imposed. £ s. d. Carrying on business of bookmaker .. .. 16 14 432 0 0 Keeping common gaming house .. .. 43 39 1,890 0 0 Found in common gaming house .. .. 13 13 28 10 0 Laying totalizator odds .. .. .. 10 9 62 0 0 Publishing betting-charts .. .. .. 2 2 9 0 0 Betting with bookmaker .. .. .. 2 2 25 0 0 Totals .. .. 86 79 2,446 10 0

,, , Number of Total Amount of lines payable to „ . . , r " | Convictions. , r mes imposed. | £ Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. .. .. 12,308 21,664 Main Highways Revenue Fund (section 24, Motor-vehicles Act, 1924) 4,857 8,052 Local Authorities (By-law offences) . . .. .. . . 997 935 18,162 £30,651 I

,, , , . Prisoners dumber of Increase on Year. Prints in Previous P rev i 0U s Collection. Yea, J™b. 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. P r ' sonels Year. Prints in Previous £ ace . das Collection. Year. ( f„ rev, . ous Unenders. 1917 .. 19,-508 1,374 166 1918 .. 20,982 1,474 132 1919 .. 22,332 1,350 153 1920 .. 23,686 1,354 176 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 .. 39,409 1,601 276 1929 '' 40,852 1,443 208