("China Mail" of 27th June, 1870.)
310 9
One great mistake in the administration of the Police was made by Sir R. MÁC DONNELL, who evidently believed that systems which were found to answer in other places would not suit bere; and in carrying out this idea, he appointed a gentleman who had no knowledge whatever of Police duties, and this at rather a critical juncture when the force really required the services of an active, intelligent, and, above all, experienced Head. Therefore if with these disadvantages Mr. DEANE failed in creating a model force from the chaos caused or left by the incapacity of his predecessors, it is not more than might have been anticipated. serious nature, for Mr. DEANE, although nominally the head, was not the administrator There were other drawbacks of a very and had not the authority indispensable to perfect order and maintain discipline. When the Sikhs were sent for, Mr. DEANE had no voice in the matter, and when they arrived with an officer for whom a new appointment had to be made, he was not consulted as to the fitness of that gentleman for the post of second in command. Again, when the HOLWORTHY murder was committed, His Excellency undertook by other agency to discover the perpetrators thereof, with what result is too well known to need repetition. If, as has been stated, Mr. DEANE failed in his endeavours to put the Police on a good footing, it can easily be understood how since his departure it has been gradually deteriorating, until it has become the most expensive and least efficient establishment in the Colony. This fact is unfortunately too notorious to dwell on, for no one can be found to dispute it, not even one in the department. Such a state of things became intolerable, and the cry for amendment was continuous. It was anticipated that the labours of the recent Commission appointed to investigate the conduct of the Police in a case of considerable importance would not have been in vain, for it was expected that the Commissioners would have been prepared to recommend some scheme capable of making the Police more effective. If no action is to be taken on that Report of the Commissioners, then, the sooner a new Commission be issued the better, with instructions to receive evidence and report on the present condition of the Police, and to recommend such changes in its organization and administration as will guarantee some security for its becoming efficient. If the unofficial members of Council could be included in the Commission, the public generally would feel that its interests in this important question were carefully attended to, for publicity would be ensured to the result of their enquiries. This course is suggested in preference to any other, appearing the least objectionable and the most safe and expeditious, for such an inquiry could well be gone through in a few days. Although there are some points on which a difference of opinion may be : expected to arise, still these are principally on matters of detail that need not occupy too much of the time of the Commission. It will be conceded that the number of officers is beyond all proportion to what is necessary, that in fact one Head with four or five Assistants, would be more likely to exercise an effective control over the men than the present staff of three Acting Superintendents and seventeen Inspectors. Any one of the Superintendents could command with a greater chance of success than can be expected with the present divided authority.
Another question for consideration is as to the best means of recruiting for filling the existing vacancies, and providing for future ones, more especially as it is now generally admitted that the Sikhs will not answer our purpose. As we must have a certain proportion of Englishmen, it would appear advisable to obtain about 50 carefully selected men from the Police in England, to fill vacancies already existing, and then if about 100 suitable natives of the West Indies could be procured, to supply the places of the more useless of the Sikhs, we should have such a force as might with good administration become more efficient than any we have yet possessed. The majority of Europeans engaged in the Colony are from want of training and other causes, entirely unfit for the service, and as it is on the European element that we must mainly depend for the nucleus, as also to supply the upper grades, the importance of this point should recommend itself for due consideration. It may not be out of place here to observe that the very questionable practice that has crept in to the system of filling the higher grades by outsiders has been attempted to be justified by urging that a sufficient number of competent men were not to be found in the force. Without stopping to inquire how far the real circumstances may have justified this course, the principle seems highly objectionable; on many grounds it is advisable that appointments in future should not be filled by others than officers who have undergone a certain amount of training to qualify them for such responsible duties.
There can be no reasonable doubt that a body of carefully selected men from the
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