The Argus at KellyGang 15/12/1882
Editorial
The Police Commission must have its uses. It may be a little difficult to ascertain what those use are. So much we confess to; but the faith, "that nothing walks with aimless feet," justifies the belief that Mr LONGMORE and his friends are serving some good or some bad purpose. Perhaps the commission survives to keep green the memory of the Berry Government, which created it, for there was a danger that we might forget the character of the appointments with which the radical Government was accustomed to bewilder the community. Perhaps it lingers upon the scene as an awful example of the incompetency of political boards. However this may be, the Police Commission remains, and it promises to be the Police Commission until the end of the chapter. It commenced its career by falling foul of every officer with whom it was brought into contact, high or low. It is now atoning for this ill-usage by embracing every rogue and vagabond. So soon as a reprobate is brought before them, the hearts of Mr LONGMORE and his friends expand. They appear to recognise a man and a brother. The policeman is abused as a pickpocket, but on the other hand the word of a pickpocket is accepted as that of "an officer and a gentleman."
The reprobates who have just emerged from prison must be enjoying themselves amazingly. It is a rare treat for them to be relieved from the presence of an austere judge and a critical jury, and to be permitted to pour out stories of the wickedness of their accusers to sympathising and sighing commissioners, whose cry is for more. There is something highly comic in the idea of ex-convicts gravely complaining that the detectives were not as quick as they ought to have been in restoring the stolen property to its owners. The reflection will obtrude itself that if the anxiety of the Longmore pets had only manifested itself a little earlier, the owners need not have been disturbed in any way. But on the whole the recent evidence is painful reading. It is unseemly for a commissioner to tell a witness in public, "You are not fit to be a detective," and then when this man asks his officer. Have I shown myself competent for my work?
For the commissioner to rule the question out of order. It must be prejudicial to the public interests that the dangerous classes of the community should find themselves by a stroke con- verted into heroes. There is this much to be said, however, that the two officers now on the gridiron, Detective O'CALLAGHAN and Inspector SECRETAN, appear to be quite capable of standing up for themselves and now that the personal feeling of the commissioner has been disclosed, the public will look to it that these officers are no more sacrificed than Sergeant STEELE was. Mr LONGMORE'S statement, to the effect that the evidence obtained from the criminals is more trustworthy than that given by the department, will be duly noted out of doors. And so the hon geintleman and his satellites may be left to gloat over the slanders of the alums.
THE POLICE COMMISSION
The commission continued its sittings at the old Treasury yesterday, the members present being Mr Longmore (in the chair), and Messrs, Hall, Fincham, and Anderson.
Inspector Secretan was recalled, and further examined an to the secret system of nothing the detective force. He was cross-examined at considerable length by the witness Patrick Boardman. Mr Secretan stated positively that he did not on any occasion remember having rebuked Detective Edelsten for condoling with Boardman while in prison on his being the victim of a "put up" robbery. He declined to say whether Detective Duncan possessed the same authority as himself in the office, and would refuse to answer any further questions of that character. He did not understand the meaning of the term "fiz-gig" and had never used any person for the purpose of prompting others to crime.
At this stage a criminal photograph book kept in the Detective office was produced, in order to settle a point as to the identity of a man named Graham, alleged to have been employed by the detectives. On the book being opened it was found that the portrait required was missing.
The CHAIRMAN - This is a most extraordinary occurrence. No one outside the Detective office could know that the portrait would be required during the present examination. It was, in fact, referred to yesterday for the first time during the inquiry.
Patrick Boardman -As an attempt was made yesterday to show that ex-Detective Foster had taken papers from the Detective office relating to this inquiry, I wish to state that the whole of my information was obtained from another source, this person being also an ex-member of the detective force.
Mr FINCHAM suggested to Mr Secretan the propriety of his making a close inquiry after the missing portrait.
Mr Secretan-It is just possible the portrait has been taken by some of the detectives for the purposes of identification.
Boardman further stated that he had received information from detectives still remaining in the force, and on Detective Duncan, who was present, having insisted that the names of these officers should be disclosed, the press were requested to leave, and the names of the officers referred to were given by Boardman.
On the press being again admitted, the CHAIRMAN stated that the disclosures made sure of no importance, and amounted to nothing more than ordinary gossip.
In reply to Mr FINCHAM, Mr Secretan staled that be knew a Mr. Danby, who averred that Boardman's statements were untrue, and had expressed a willingness to be examined on the subject before the commission. The reason why Mrs Lamb was not prosecuted for having stolen property in her possession was that the case against her was not strong enough. In important cases where the owners of property refused to prosecute the matter would probably be referred to the Crown law officers.
At this stage the witness asked permission to hand in several documents from the chief commissioner of police in Kew Zealand relating to Boardman's character. In these documents the New Zealand police expressed an opinion that Boardman had visited that colony with the intention of pursuing a criminal career, and had sent over to this colony for a man known as Squash, who at the time was about to receive his discharge from Pentridge.
Mr Secretan, in reply to the chairman, stated that this interchange of telegrams of criminal information was a portion of the general system of the detective force. As far as he could learn, the prevailing impression outside was that the commission were indirectly protecting criminals by their proceedings in this matter.
Detective Nixon asked permission to put a series of questions to the witness with the object of clearing his (Nixon's) character from certain imputations made against him, but the commission advised him to send in a written statement on the subject.
Defectives Duncan and Moore were both examined, the former with reference to statements made by him in evidence at a former sitting of the commission, and each of which he now corroborated.
The commission at its rising adjourned until 11 o'clock on Tuesday next.
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