fL—l6

Growth of Department. —The following return shows the growth of the Department, the population, and the total number of offences (irrespective of by-law offences) reported, and in which arrests or summonses resulted, at each tenth year since 1877, prior to which date each province in the Dominion had its own Police Force. The figures for 1939, 1940, and 1941 are also shown

Criminal Registration Branch.—At Headquarters during the year the finger impressions of 3,336 persons were received, classified, indexed, and filed ; 196 persons were identified as previous offenders who, had it not been for the finger-print system, would have passed as first offenders ; 1,399 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the Branch ; the photographs of 2,518 prisoners (4,340 photographs) were received and dealt with ; 416 photographs were reproduced in the Police Gazette ; 14 wanted persons located ; and 1 unknown deceased person identified by finger-prints. Finger-prints left by offenders when committing 19 crimes were identified as belonging to 17 persons, who were prosecuted—ll pleaded guilty, 1 pleaded guilty to two charges of breakingentering and theft after hearing the evidence at the Lower Court, 1 committed suicide while awaiting trial, and the remaining 4 were found guilty at the Supreme Courts. Finger-prints of 237 persons were received for inquiry from other countries, of which 23 were identified as those of persons previously convicted in New Zealand ; the finger impressions of 42 New Zealand offenders were sent overseas for inquiry, 22 being identified as having been previously convicted outside this Dominion. It is interesting to note that in New Zealand the finger-print system has been responsible for the identification of 7,887 persons since it was introduced in 1903. Auckland Criminal Registration Branch.—During the year, 1,072 prisoners' finger-prints were received and duly classified, searched, and filed. The photographs of 136 prisoners were taken and 680 prints were taken from the negatives ; also a number of photographs of scenes of crimes and motor accidents were taken. The total number of photographs produced by the Branch during the year was 1,100. The remanded prisoner forms, together with the results of the cases inserted, for 4-57 prisoners were dealt with. . . In eight cases offenders, who would not otherwise have been known as having been previously convicted, were traced by their finger-prints, and in ten other cases finger-prints left by offenders when committing crimes were identified and the offenders duly arrested and dealt with by the Courts. Arms Bureau. —The Arms Bureau has been fully occupied during the year with the usual work connected with accidents with firearms, the campaign for safer shooting, and investigation in regard to offences of various kinds in which metal objects are involved. Apart from this work the Department, at the request of the Director of National Service, has arranged that the Officer in Charge of the Arms Bureau assist as honorary armourer in relation to firearms for the Home Guard. Although this has involved long hours of extra work, it has been cheerfully undertaken. Some hundreds of various kinds of weapons suitable for use by the armed forces were also examined and classified by the Arms Bureau, which was consulted by members of the forces in regard to technical matters relating to these and other small arms. The accident rate with firearms has fallen to a lower point than has been recorded in the seven years that the Arms Bureau has collected statistics on this subject. There were 37 accidents reported, of which 17 were fatal These were chiefly accounted for by the three commonest arms in circulation— the 12-gauge shotgun, the -22 rifle, and the -303 service rifle. Only one revolver case was reported, and this was not fatal. Police Buildings, do. —The following works in connection with police-stations were carried out during the year by the Public Works Department New stations were erected at Cienavy, Mount Maunganui, Wanaka, and Oneroa (Waiheke Island), and stations at Norsewood. and Havelock are nearing completion. New offices were built at Kaitaia, Te Awamutu, and South Dunedin; offices and constable's residence at Temuka ; and a new lock-up

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.2 § Offences Arrests for i S „ .. , Cost per nff0 , lr , 0 „ where Drunkenness T«ar "5 lo •& 3 Total. t> f®. • Inhabit- Population. ° , Arrests or (included in *' ear " S3 -g | Population., F reported. g ummonsea "Offences id § S | S resulted. reported"). O fc-j Q O - 1878 25 90 14 329 458 1 to 944 * 432,352 14,157 13,959 6,668 1888 13 69 17 388 487 1 to 1,328 3/lf 646,913 12,897 11,854 5,387 1898 7 56 16 457 536 1 to 1,435 2/8 768,910 16,378 14,730 5,532 1908 15 83 32 604 734 1 to 1,331 3/2J 977,215 23,510 22,484 10,343 1918 20 111 38 732t 901 1 to 1,274 4/6| 1,147,391 19,067 18,043 7,228 1928 23 127 54 91311,117 1 to 1,301 5/9" 1,453,517 33,138 30,622 6,601 1938 26 145 93 1,164-f 1,428 1 to 1,123 7/6 1,604,479 44,308 41,618 5,446 1939 27 148 91 l,173f 1,439 1 to 1,129 7/5f- 1,624,714 46,378 43,162 5,935 1940 27 149 90 1,191f 1,457 ltol,126 7/8£ 1,640,901 45,009 41,619 5,470 1941 28 155 97 l,229f 1,509 1 to 1,084 7/11J 1,636,230 38,559 35,896 4,887 1942 29 159 105 1,30811,599 1 to 1,022 8/3| 1,634,338 * Not obtainable. t Includes temporary constables.