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(“Daily Press” of 21st April, 1870.)
The review of the Report by the Acting Superintendent of Police, was left yerterday at the point where he expresses his opinions with regard to the question of establishing an effective detective service; and, as this is a matter of the greatest importance, it is desirable to glance rapidly over the main arguments-if arguments they can be called --which are brought forward on this part of the subject. The position taken up is certainly of the very weakest description, and it is obvious to any one who pays attention to the question that the principal reason urged against the above scheme, are directly in its favour. When Mr. CREAGH admits that "no reliable record has hitherto been kept of the number of cases traced, and the amount of property recovered by the Police,” he demonstrates to a degree how faulty is his system, and how imperatively it demands overhauling and improving. This admission forms the strongest reason in favour of having detective officers, seeing that it would be their peculiar province to keep such record, in fact to keep journals with names and descriptions of all convicted thieves and suspicious characters, as also full particulars of all crimes committed, whether detective or not, if only for future reference. When the Acting Captain Superintendent is found admitting that "no reliable record has hitherto been kept of the number of cases traced,” what can be thought about the cases untraced, which are plentiful enough- in fact than the cases traced. fences would be shown on the credit side of the ledger, in the same manner as a mer- Under a good detective system, untraced crimes and of- chant shows his business accounts, not settled by cash; and while such cases remained on the books, efforts would constantly be made to have them settled by bringing to jus- tice those concerned in the crimes.
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Mr. CREAGH, in referring to the state of Ireland, falls into an error when he says, "Agrarian outrages of the most daring character have hitherto baffled the ablest detec- tive officers," for as was mentioned in this journal sometime back, the Minister in both the House of Lords and House of Commons admitted that the detective system in Ireland was faulty and required improved organization and administration, before it could hope to become effective, and therefore it cannot reasonably be inferred that the Irish Police possessed an efficient detective staff, much less "the ablest detective officers."
But the chief point which Mr. CREAGH advances against a Dectective Force, is almost ludicrously illustrative of the limited capacity of the Deputy Superintendent to understand the very rudiments of Police business. He contends that, "the dishonesty of the natives, on whom we have to depend for the detection of crime, renders it impossible to maintain an organized Detective Police. contend that, because the natives are dishonest, the present Detective system is better Does the Acting Superintendent of Police than one efficiently organized, and ably administered by a thoroughly experienced and competent officer? That the natives are as a rule dishonest, appears to be a very admirable reason why all such as are employed as agents or auxiliaries to detectives should be under the strictest surveillance, and further that the Police should place itself in a position to be thoroughly independent of thein for information.
The present system, or rather "want of system," has been shown in many instances to be so utterly defective that it is astonishing to find any one to support it. There are scores of so-called detectives in the Colony, under no effective surveillance, and the amount of extortion, intimidation, and the like, committed by them, would astound most people. It is confidentially asserted that nearly every Police Officer employs a greater or smaller number of such men, and then there are to be added those employed by the REGISTRAR-GENERAL'S department and Mr. CALDWELL. Mr. CREAGH's argument that a Detective Force would be useless, because the Chinese are dishonest, tacitly admits that the Police are dependent upon the Chinese, and are simply unable to perform their duties. It is possible that the argument is much more correct than the Deputy Su- perintendent thinks. If the Chinese buffle an organised Detective Service, it may be assumed they will also baffle a Police, which has not such assistance. Contrariwise, if the most effective weapon for the prevention of crime, namely, the Dectective Corps, fails in doing so, it may safely be assumed that the Police Force as a whole is a failure, and adopting Mr. CREAGH'S argument, the Colony might as well be without Police altogether-a conclusion to which facts recently brought to light seem to lead almost as distinctly as Mr. CREAGH's logic. The statement that a Detective Force is likely to be useless on account of the dishonesty of the Chinese, is very much like saying that it is useless to take a candle into a room, because the appartment is more than usually dark.