H.—l6,

1942. NEW ZEALAND.

THE POLICE FORCE OF THE DOMINION. (ANNUAL REPORT ON.)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Commissioner of Police to the Hon. the Minister in Charge or Police Department. Police Department, Wellington, 7th July, 1942. I have the honour to present the annual report on the Police Force for the year ended 31st March last. Strength of Force. —On the 31st March last the number of members of the Force of all ranks was 1,599, being an increase of ninety during the year. The total is made up as follows : 5 Superintendents, 17 Inspectors, 7 Sub-Inspectors, 41 senior sergeants, 118 sergeants, 1,030 constables, 276 temporary constables, 6 senior detectives, 36 detective-sergeants, and 63 detectives. There were also 3 district constables, 1 Native constable, 9 police-women, 8 matrons, and 15 police surgeons. The following are the losses in personnel for the year ended 31st March last: Retired on pension under the Public Service Superannuation Act, 10 ; retired as medically unfit, 7 ; died, 11 ; resigned voluntarily, 18 ; dismissed, 12 ; total, 58. Stations. —New stations were established during the year at St. Helier's Bay, Oneroa, and Mount Maunganui, and the stations at Kohimarama and Surfdale were closed. The name of the station at Rolleston was changed to Burnham. Criminal Statistics. —The criminal statistics (Appendix A) deal with offences reported to the police during the year ended 31st December last, and show an aggregate net decrease of 6,450 on the figures of 1940. The percentage of offences to the population was 2-35, as against 2-75 the previous year. The number of offences reported during the year was 38,559, the number of cases in which arrests or summonses resulted was 35,896, leaving 2,663 cases in which no prosecution followed. The percentage of arrests or summonses resulting from offences reported during the year 1941 was 93-09, the figures of the preceding year being 92-5. There was a decrease in the number of serious crimes as compared with the previous year, and also in the number of indecent and sexual offences. Drunkenness. —There has been a decrease of 583 in the number of prosecutions for drunkenness during the year as compared with the previous year. The number charged with drunkenness in 1941 was 4,887 (4,752 males and 135 females), whereas in 1940 the number was 5,470 (5,317 males and 153 females). One thousand four hundred and eighteen males (29-84 per cent.) and 37 females (27-4 per cent.) had previous convictions recorded against them, and 4-04 per cent, of the males were not permanent residents of the Dominion. Prosecutions against HotelJceepers. The number of prosecutions against hotelkeepers during the year shows a decrease of 106 as compared with the preceding year. There were 514 prosecutions, resulting in 409 convictions, during 1941, as against 620 prosecutions and 476 convictions in 1940. Sly-grog Selling. —There were 100 prosecutions during the year for selling liquor without a license,, resulting in 86 convictions, and there were also 21 prosecutions and convictions for other offences, against the provisions of the Licensing Act in force in no-license districts. The fines imposed on the sly-grog sellers during the year 1941 amounted to £1,900. Gaming Offences. —There were 500 prosecutions, resulting in 469 convictions, during the year under the Gaming Act, against 394 prosecutions and 376 convictions in 1940. Two hundred and forty-five prosecutions in connection with bookmaking during the year ended 31st March, 1942, resulted in 238 convictions, the amount of fines imposed being £9,328.