Royal Commission report day 23 page 16
The Royal Commission evidence for 31/5/1881
(see also introduction to day 23)
Sgt Steele giving evidence
9081 Does that appear to you advantageous to the public service?— I think it would be always better for the sub-officer, in serious cases, to go out himself and execute a warrant of that sort.
9082 Do you consider that the sergeants who are in charge of large stations like Wangaratta should be competent to go and do duty on horseback, if required?— I do; I think they should not be left without a mounted sergeant.
9083 In your opinion, then, should all officers be able to ride on horseback?— I think they should.
9084 At the time of the Kelly outrages, it is said that the police were inefficiently armed; what arms had you in the barracks at the time?— One Spencer rifle.
9085 And how many revolvers?— All the mounted men had a Webley revolver; the foot constables had one Colt's revolver, for taking prisoners to gaol, which was handed to them when they went on prisoners' escort.
9086 Do you consider that the arms furnished about that time were efficient in quality and sufficient in number?— I think so–in the state of the country then; of course we had no anticipation then of such I an outrage as the murder of the police. I think the revolvers were quite sufficient.
9087 Do you consider now that it is requisite for the police in that district to be all efficiently armed?— I think they should all be efficiently armed; all the mounted police, especially, should be supplied with a rifle.
9088 You said you had a Spencer rifle, and you also stated, in your evidence, that you carried a double-barrelled gun–was that from choice?— This was some time after the Kellys broke out. We were supplied with a double-barrelled gun by the department.
9089 Which do you consider the most effective weapon–that, or the short Martini-Henry carbine?— The gun is very good for night work, if you attack in the night, but I would prefer the rifle for daylight.
9090 As a general weapon for arming the police force, which is the most efficient?— The Martini Henry.
9091 Have you heard the men express an opinion on that?— Yes.
9092 How were your men armed that you brought from Wangaratta?— Some with the long Martini Henry, some with the breech-loading guns, and some with the old Enfield rifle.
9093 Does not this diversity of arming render it extremely hard to have a sufficient quantity of ammunition available for those different arms?— Yes, it does mane it rather complicated.
9094 Would it be better to have them all of one character, and one ammunition?— I think so. I think if the foot police had the Martini-Henry rifle, and the mounted police the small carbine, it would be a vast improvement.
9095 Are you senior to Sergeant Whelan in the service, or junior?— I think senior in the service, but he holds a higher rank. I believe he was promoted just at the time the Kellys were arrested. I fancy I am senior in the service; I could not say exactly.
9096 You state positively that you did not deliberately fire at any women?— No. I can swear positively that the woman had passed me by three or four yards, and going through the fence. I got the woman to it, and told her to run through quick.
9097 Would it be true if a constable swore that you fired directly at the woman?— It is a gross falsehood, and I can call witnesses with regard to-the constable who had the audacity to make the remark.
9098 With regard to the danger to constables in that neighborhood, you stated that, in your opinion; –and I do not suppose many have a better knowledge of the district–the dangerous class are confined to four or five?— I think so.
9099 And most of those are in the immediate knowledge of Greta?— Yes, about Greta, and down more towards Lake Rowan .
9100 Do you consider that what the constables have to fear there is cowardly assassination from some of those fellows?— Well, I am sure it is a very hard question to answer. Of course, if they interfered with the police at all, they would assassinate them in the dark.
9101 You think there is no fear of their coming out to meet them?— No. I do not believe there is a man about there that has sufficient pluck to tackle a man to his face there.
9102 Was there an order, that in consequence of the dangerous character of those men, that attests were not to be made by single constables?— I could not say; I heard something of that sort.....
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