Commentary
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6203500502 |
| Published date | 01 September 1962 |
| Date | 01 September 1962 |
| Subject Matter | Commentary |
£ommentary
INSPECTION RECORD
FOR
1961
Annual reports
of
Her Majesty's Inspectors
of
Constabulary have
for many years provided all who are concerned with police efficiency
with reliable and realistic material for research and assessment. Their
report for 1961, presented by the Home Secretary to the House
of
Commons in compliance with the provisions
of
the Police (H.M.
Inspectors
of
Constabulary) Act, 1945, compresses into a small
compass a mass
of
statistics and comment on practically every
aspect
of
police, and offers a summing up which deserves the atten-
tion
of
Parliament and the public. The inspectors cannot urge too
strongly the propagation
of
" our view that every law-abiding citizen
has a personal interest in maintaining an efficient and impartial police,
contented, incorruptible and
strong".
Despite the magnitude
of
the
problems for which solutions are only partially in sight,
they"
have
pleasure in recording
our
view that during
1961
the county and
borough police forces worthily maintained their high tradition and
were efficient ".
Increases in crime and road traffic during
1961
brought new
demands on the police everywhere, particularly in the great centres
of
population and industry. The indications, in the view
of
the inspectors
of
constabulary, are that they are not likely to ease up in the immedi-
ate future. Statistics
of
convictions for indictable offences in England
and Wales during 1961, compared with those for 1960, showed
that
the number
of
persons found guilty at Assizes and quarter
sessions increased by 12.4 per cent, and
of
those in magistrates'
courts by 11.3 per cent. Increases were shown in all the age groups
of
people, including children and young persons, found guilty in
magistrates and higher courts, the highest increase being 15.1 per
cent recorded in the age group
of
young persons aged 14 and under
17years
of
age, and the lowest, 9.3 per cent, among children under 14
years
of
age. Percentage variations in the number
of
persons found
guilty
of
indictable offences in 1961 per 100,000
of
the population,
compared with the corresponding number in 1960, showed the great-
est increase
of
14.8per cent amongst children under 14 years
of
age,
with 4.9 per cent
of
young persons aged 14 and under 17 as the
lowest increase recorded.
297 September-October, /962
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