Royal Commission report day 47 page 13
The Royal Commission evidence for 31/8/1881
(see also introduction to day 47)
F. C. Standish giving evidence
16193 That implies that a certain officer you had, occupying a responsible position, you had not confidence in. Now will you say what officer you had not confidence in, and what was the cause?— I had perfect confidence in Mr. Sadleir and Mr. Hare.
16194 Whom, occupying the same position, did you not have confidence in, and would not entrust with that information?— Those are the only two officers that served with me at Benalla.
16195 What officer would not be worthy—you have spoken of those you would trust?— The only two that served with me there were Mr. Sadleir and Mr. Hare.
16196 Mr. Nicolson was for a long time at that work?— Not with me.
16197 No, but that would equally apply to information you might receive in town. Supposing you occupied your position as Chief Commissioner in town, you might receive information—would it not be your duty to convey it, not only to the officer in the district, but equally to officers in other districts?— It depends on the class of information. I would convey it, if necessary, to Mr. Nicolson direct, and to Mr. Sadleir , in the absence of Mr. Nicolson .
16198 What is the ordinary custom of the Chief Commissioner, who may be the recipient of valuable information with regard to any outrage, what course he should take to bring the parties charged with any offence against the law to justice?— In any ordinary district I would communicate to the officer in charge of the district by telegram; and, if an urgent matter, to the policeman at the nearest station.
16199 Would your communication stop there; would that be the extent of the information?— It depends entirely upon the nature of the offence.
16200 I think if you are anxious to capture any person guilty of a breech of the law, the information that would be necessary to convey to any officer it would be necessary also to convey to the officers in charge of every district?— Exactly; but that depends upon the nature of the offence.
16201 Should it not be the practice at all times for the Chief Commissioner of Police to cause the necessary information to be given to every branch of the service, all over the colony, as well as to officers in the other colonies?— Certainly, in case of crimes of great magnitude, but not petty offences.
16202 These are not petty offences we are talking of; and I would like to have your answer, as the result of your long experience, as to your practice in that case. If you received the information, did you then take immediate steps to convey that information to every officer in charge of every district in the colony?— In crimes of great magnitude I might, but that is generally done by the officer in charge of the district. The officer in charge of the district does what is necessary.
16203 You seem to evade the question?— I do not. I say if a crime of great magnitude is committed, and there is a trace of the person absconding, it is the duty of the officer of the district to communicate with nearly all the stations in the colony.
16204 Then it would be your duty as Chief Commissioner to give the necessary instructions to your subordinate so as to convey it by telegram to every station in the colony?— It is very expensive to send to every district in the colony; it would cost £100 to send it to all the districts. The district there is so enormously large.
16205 You say you had to keep the information entirely to yourself—it would have been dangerous to have communicated to your officers even the plan of operations you had mentally decided to carry out. Is it not, us a matter of fact, the practice of the police force in every case when a crime is committed to let the chief officer of every district in the colony know the nature of the offence and the character of the offender, in order that the regular course may be taken for the capture?— No, it is not the custom it is the custom that if a criminal is wanted in a certain district to telegraph to all the adjoining stations but if a crime is committed in the North-Eastern district it would be folly and waste of money to telegraph to Portland.
16206 With regard to your position whilst you were in charge of the district there, did you ever make a practice of consulting at given periods with the officers under your charge as to the efficacy of carrying out the plan of operations you had then determined on or as to altering them?— We used to talk the matter over almost every morning in the office, Mr. Sadleir, Mr. Hare, and I.
16207 I presume you worked on a decided plan of operations in carrying out the search; there was some recognized plan?— I cannot say there was some recognized plan, because the information was so very slender and so very infrequent; but I very soon found out that the plan of having large search parties all over the district was waste of time and money.
16208 Did you on any occasion specially intimate to the officers the advisability of meeting at a given period to take into consideration the best mode, with a view of capturing those men?— No, never
16209 Do you think now, in the ordinary way, the efficiency of the force would not be improved by such a system being recognized?— What system?....
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