POLICE RETURNS.

NOTES TO THE TABLES.

(a) Column 1,

Tables I to III.

Table XVIII.

"Offences."-The titles of the offences are the same as in

(b) Column 2, Number of Crimes known to Police."-This column includes all crimes reported to the police or otherwise coming to their knowledge within the year whether committed by the same or different persons, and whether any apprehension takes place within the year or not.

(c) If there is a committal or conviction within the year, the Table shows the nature of the crime as judicially determined. Failing this, the charge which is named in the summons or warrant or on which the prisoner is arrested is taken as determining the crime. If there are no proceedings and no apprehension, the character of the crime is judged by the facts so far as known to the police.

(d) In Columns 3 to 12 the number of persons proceeded against is given not the number of crimes or charges. A person charged at the same time with several offences appears as one person only. In selecting the offence for tabulation the same principle is followed as in Tables I to III-the charge resulting in conviction or committal for trial has preference to the others; and subject to this the more serious offence is selected. If there are two or more convictions, that for which the heavier sentence is inflicted is regarded as the more serious.

(e) Columns 3 to 13 include only cases disposed of by Courts of Summary Jurisdiction within the year. Cases pending at the end of the year are reserved for inclusion in the following year's Table.

(f) Column 6, "Discharged," contains cases where the magistrate does not assume power to deal with the case summarily, but discharges the accused under Section 25 of the Indictable Offences Act, 1848.

(g) Column 7, " Dealt with Summarily and Acquitted," contains cases where after the magistrate has decided to deal summarily with the case, the charge is dismissed or withdrawn.

(h) The entries in Column 8 include the following cases :

(i) All cases dealt with under Sections 1 and 2 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, i.e., cases where the charge is held to be proved, but the Court, without convicting, made an order dismissing the charge, or an order for the offender to enter into recognizances, or a probation order.

(ii) Children under 14 charged with indictable offences committed to Industrial Schools under Section 58 (2) and (3) of the Children Act, 1908.

(iii) Committals to custody of relatives and others made under Section 58 (7) of the Children Act, 1908, in the case of children charged with indictable offences, i.e., cases in which a committal to an Industrial School could be made under Section 58 (2) and (3) of the Children Act, 1908.

(iv) Persons sent to institutions for defectives or placed under guardianship under Section 8 (1) (b) of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, in cases where the Court finds the charge proved but does not proceed to a conviction.

(i) Column 10, "Committed for Trial and Detained," includes all persons committed to prison and places of detention to await trial, whether they are subsequently released on bail or not.

(j) Column 13 includes offences excluded from Columns 3 to 12 by the rule set forth in note (d) above, and also offences for which no proceedings were taken for various reasons.

Table XIX.

(k) The titles of the offences are the same as in Table IX (B), and, as in that Table, only criminal proceedings are included.

(1) Notes (c) to (e) above apply to this Table.

(m) Note (h) above applies to entries in Column 6 of this Table, with the substitution of non-indictable offences for indictable offences.

Table XX.

(n) This Table gives for each Police District, firstly, the number of crimes of the nature of indictable offences reported within the year to the police as committed within the Police District, and secondly, the corresponding figures for non-indictable offences: but as no figures of the number of such offences committed or reported to the police can be given, the number of persons proceeded against is quoted. In other words the upper section gives the distribution in Police Districts of the figures in Column 2 of Table XVIII, and the lower sections the distribution in Police Districts of the figures in Column 2 of Table XIX.

(0) The italic figures following the name of each Police District in the headings of the columns show the population on 19th June, 1921, of the Police District as constituted on the 31st December, 1926.

(p) The numbers entered in the first column indicate the offences included in each heading, of which fuller particulars are given in the Appendices on pages 182 to 218.

Class II.-Offences against Property with Violence.

.. 19,733

5,010

4,920

90 4,728

282

303

81 1,424

228 2,157

802

95

34

27 22