The Argus at KellyGang 9/4/1883
ROYAL COMMISSION
We published on Saturday portion of the final report of the Royal Commission on the Police Force .The remainder of the report is as follows :-
XV - AGE OF RETIREMENT
Under the Police Regulation Statute 1873 section 52, any member of the force who having served not less than 10 years, and has attained the full age of 55 years, may be superannuated. The wording of the act may be taken either as declaratory or mandatory, although it would seem to be usually accepted in the latter sense. To this objections have been raised. It is contended that at 55 many men are in full possession of their mental faculties, and provided that physically they are not incapacitated for the efficient discharge of their duties, it would be desirable that the limit during which the members of the force, and especially the officers, shall serve should be extended to 60 years.
The chief commissioner suggests that at 55 years members of the force shall be sent before the medical board, and should they be considered competent they shall remain until 60 years of age, when retirement shall be made compulsory. The evidence of the chief clerk of the Police department indicates that constables are, as a rule, unserviceable at 55, owing to the debilitating effects of their duties. Many witnesses were examined upon this point, but the balance of evidence is clearly in favour of retirement at 55. In the opinion, therefore, of your commissioners, it is expedient that all members of the force shall retire on attaining the age of 55 years.
XVI - STORES
Exception has been taken to the system which obtains (4,489) of supplying stores to the police, which it is asserted frequently causes unnecessary delay and expense, while the goods furnished are at times of a very inferior quality. There is a central store, under the special charge of a sub officer, maintained at the depot, from which supplies of most articles are forwarded to the districts, and from thence distributed amongst the country stations. Kerosene oil and supplies of a similar nature are forwarded direct from Melbourne by the contractor to the stations. Half yearly requisitions are sent from the districts for the approval of the chief commissioner, including kerosene, blankets, and everything belonging to the stores department. When they are approved they are sent from the depot, thus putting the Government to the expense of sending them in the first instance to the different places from the head quarters of the district, which is made the point of distribution. It is suggested, in lieu of this arrangement, that superintendents, instead of sending in half-yearly requisitions, be permitted to effect the requisite purchases from local storekeepers. A board could be appointed to supervise the goods furnished to the police, similar to the boards that have the control of the supply of firewood, &c. A discretionary power might be vested in superintendents to effect purchases in their respective districts, subject to the restrictions customary in connexion with Government contracts. It has been argued, however, that if officers were allowed to purchase stores, a system of trafficking, if not of bribery, might be established. Existing arrangements are, in the opinion of your commissioners, unsatisfactory, and an alteration we think might be safely effected by conferring a certain discretionary power upon the superintendents of districts to incur an expenditure subject to the approval of the chief commissioner.
XVII - RECORD SHEETS
Your commissioners are decidedly of opinion that a tyrannical use has been made of the system of record sheets in connexion with the force. The object aimed at by their introduction was excellent, but the result has been that cruel and often unjust entries are made to gratify personal animus. In those sheets the gratuitous opinions of officers are written respecting any member of the force who is about to be transferred to another district. An illustration of the manner in which this may work was exemplified in the treatment accorded Sergeant Kelly by the superintendent of his district, who was very properly reprimanded for his action. The men complain that frequently entries the most damaging are made in their record sheets respecting them, and about which they know nothing. If unfavourable comment is made upon a man's character or conduct it stands against him for all time, and acts as a bar to promotion. It may unjustifiably render him an object of suspicion and aversion to every officer of the district in which he happens to be stationed. To quote a case in point:- A witness was examined, and from his manner and mode of giving his evidence he seemed a person of superior education, intelligence, and respectability. On inspecting his record sheet the following entry was found, signed by an officer - 'I do not think- -- at all a steady man. There are some very disgusting rumours concerning him, and I therefore recommend his removal." Such a record was well-described by Inspector Dowdell, of Scotland- yard, London , as un-English and unfair, and in his opinion should never have been written. This man is still in the force, and has never been afforded an opportunity of clearing his character from the insinuation conveyed in this entry. Had there been any grounds for a charge against him, the circumstances should have been investigated. He would then have had an opportunity of refuting the allegation, and, if unable to do so, he should, at the very least, have been permitted to retire from the force. If the charge were proved, he should have been instantly dismissed. The officers are enabled to terrorise the men by means of those record sheets as at present manipulated; and it would be only a matter of justice that in future constables should be furnished with a copy of any entry that may be made in their record sheets, within one month of the entry having been made, and that where it is found adverse they should not be debarred from appealing to the board of commissioners against it.
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