The Sun. — London, England, 1812-04-09 00:00:00

PULICE CO,IIAIIT7'EE. REr'ORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS Oti THE NIGHTLY 'WATCH POLICE OP THE VE- TROPOLIS [Concluded from - our Paper ofTesterday.] Your Conamitte'e feel that much would be done by merely extending the provisions of the i 4 Geo o the adjacent parishes in and net the metro . • polis, which would be. particularly described, ,pro vided it were duly executed; but they are,cohwinC= ed, that it may receive very beneficial amendments, for the dettls of which they wetild iefer -to the Aps peediX r atatipg here only, that, in many instances, it may, pe absolutely necessary to give. powers for levy itig a higher rate- than is .now allowed, in order to defray the expence arising from 'an increase of the nninb rs or ra ages of the persons employed in dif feren, capacities-in the NighlyWatch. Your Com mittee- being strobgly, impressed witty the opinion of the expediency, if 'not necessity, of relieving ,the Watch Once at least in the night, But tile main improvement of this Law would consist in 'creating a Superintending power, to whose discretion should be e,strusted, the dismissal of the per,,004 apeoioted by the parochial aut'eorities cases of Misconduel,• negligence or inability, and to whom it should l - loeg to enfOrce generally,. if ne cessary, the d!,e execution of this Att; for, with all the - Other proposed amendments,.' it cat - not escape - ohsertizeion e that. the system would still remain itn perfeet, and t ery inferior in efficacy to that -which subsists within the City of London (properly so call ed) ; there "still would remain that want of unity, that want of dependence Of parts on each ot her, that avant of a : ganeral. superintendance and • controul, without. which, esery system of government must • be imperfect. Your Committee, considering, with this. view whether there are any public bodies or individuals already known to.the laws, and vested with judicial anti administrative powers, and on whom might con veniently be imposed the duty of connecting in some degree the scattered, parochial authorities, hare oa t orally forbid, their attention dire:Jed to the several bcardsof Magistracy which\have been created by'. the 32 6eo:lft.c.-L-3. This Alit, reciting that a regular attendauce of tit Magistrates at certain known places, and at sta-ed hocoer, was Mitch wanted, establishes seven Boards. of Magistracy in various parts of the These Boards 'of Magistracy have in common par lance obtained the name of Police Offices„ although neither by the provisions of this Act, nor by the nature of their duties as Justices of the Peace, have they any superintendence whatever in matters of preventive and parochial P,oltce, or any necessary finowledge of the pienciples on which the several, 'independent unconnected pAishes ad, or of the de tails by which the peace and good order of the me tropolis are endeavoured. o be maiiitamed ; nor have thei any means of obtaining this. knowledge, e.xcept incidentally, in consequence of persons being ..brought betore them, charged with dis , orderly conduct-, or suspected of having Corn - 'mined crimes. They merely constitute the first stage in the adminislialion of general jurisprudence. It would seem' to be. extraordinary, Unit in such a Metropolis, as London, there should be no office. in whichi • fordeation is o'lleeted-, from which intelli geece can be obtained. as to the state of the line Secretary ot State. fhr the Home. Department bas not, necessJriy, any knowledge on this subject, not has he the means of *obtaining any such know ledee, except with reference to crimes committed, or ot disturbances which have arisen;or of the nuniher of informations or.commituls which hat Oaken place during an; giv. n period. Your Committee are therefore persuaded, that the greatest advantages would arise from-making use of these 1303145 of Magistracy, even if it were for no oilier purpose, than as constituting centres to sthich information might habitually and constantly be communicated, and daily reports made from the several parishes situated within the :distriet, which,, for tire sake of mutual convenience, is considered as ast.igned to each of these seven Police Offices. • • By nn _ans of this system of, daily report,:detailing the number and descript ion of the persons employ ed on the watch daring the preceding night, ,and the occurrences which may have taken place while they were so on,duty, the Magistrates would be informed as, to the mariner in which 'the proposed Act of Parliament. had been complied with; amid also of the state .of order or disorder which might prevail in the various parishes within their district. .But your CoMmitiee further propose, as a Means of suparin ten3ance and centroul; and for the purpose of veri fying in some degree. the correctness of such re ports, and of ascertaining the.fitbess as -well ets good conduct of the persons so ediployed,,• that it should be the duty of seine, of the principal Officers At -tackled to the several Boards of Magistracy (ge nerally kno , sn by the name of Police..Officers)to . golounds according to some rotation, to be settled during the night, and .to _ visit the. several Watch houses within their district, and report in the morn ing to the Office to which they are attached, as to the vigilance, good cOnduEt, and fitness of the Con stables, Beadles, Parrules,• and Watchmen, on duty during the.night. It is also proposed, that it should be tire duty ot the High Constable within the seve . - ral divisions, occasionally to make similar visitations and reports, and with this view, it might'Perhaps be advisable to attach to them a certain number ot who might be stipendiary - Officers, to be • paid 'Out of the County-rate, - or out of some rate to be levied within each respective division to which they belong. , Nor are these the only tittans by Which it is pro posed to titraish the Boards of Mai:jstrates with. in formationiespecting the state of the Metropolis as to its Police, and as to the manner in which the pa kOdlial authorities execute _the powers entrusted to them ; but it is further recommended, that the ex cellent provisions of the statuteol 14 Geo. M. c.gU. t ,hould be extended. 'nix: is the statute Which your Committee have before alluded to as applicable to the City and Liber- Jic-. of Westminster,. and certain other parishes tli:xeiti named, and which, atter having prescribed n,•:t general outline ot the manner in which watch is ;0 t)..--• kept, direils that the several parochial audio- LONDON : Printed byll-1( At the'UN OFI'LCI ritiei shall 'me( t, and m a ke .more detailed rules and regulations for .the instru'Etion and. gLidarice .the Constable, Beadles, Patrcles, and Watchmen,— These detailed - instroaions are directed to be written or printed, and delivered to each of such ,persons . re speCtively, Your Comrl. - iittee would lot-flier propose, that copies of rules and regulation should be transmitted to the Police 0 of tire distrim for their 'infotmatioi, that the principal Officers attached to each Office may, in t i l)e'ir nightly visitations, be able to judge whether such regulations are regularly complied 'with. Copies also. of these regolatiqns should, in some copvenlent manner, be affixed to the walls in eaeh 1.4 aicti-house,. By means• such. as these, the several Boards of Ailagi,trat,es would acquire such a degree of knowledge, as would enable them to give instruetions to theirprincipal officers' for their con du& during their visitations, and would enable them further to exercise', with corte&ness, the power which should' be given them, of displacing .such of tire watch Men or patroles as appear to - be unfit from bodily infirmity, or iron) negligence or mis condutc.t. Hiving thus collet9ed at each repeEißre Police Ottice a great mass of intormaunn, as to the princi ples and details by which the good order tud seen- E-ity 'of their di,trici - is endeavoured' fo be maio tabled, and.hlying thus called into activity the attention of a•great nutober . ot persons as to matters of preventive Police, and introduced that system of suPerintnd arfce and controut wach may keep aliVe and con-, the - attivity and vigilance which has thus been excited, it would still_appear that the system would he imperlea onless_this information, thus colleaed at each of the seven respective Boards of -Magistracy, was.accuMulated at i•orne - one central - point, in or der i-hzu t4ere may be the means of comparing the occurrence, and transactions, and caret instanceS of the various parts.ot the town, and of forming esti. mates.from the comparisonot such facts, of the pro• bable means for the seffeelual-preiontiou rif crimes, or for the dete6tion,, pursuit, apprehension and con ,.vi6tion of criminals. . It should seem that the Office - at Bow-street, which is wholly Uneonnetled with either of the se ven Offices, might form the proper t':entre, to which this various information, should be transmitted. It 'would probably be necessary, considering the great pressirre of business which cfiivolves on that office, to attach to it some fit person,• whose immediate duty it would be to compare and digest such infor. • 'nation, for the purpose of being cOmMunicated to that Board of Magistrates, and also to the Secretary of State for the Home Depattment. . Your Committee have dwelt the longer on this brairch , of the subjea, as they deeply feel the neces sity of introducing some system which May .g;ve unity and . conneaion to the scattered parts of which the Metropolis consists ; and which may, by intro ducing more means of superimendance. mid more means of knowledge, secure a due execution of the laws, ark!, above all things, way secure that active vigilance and - precaution which may leSsen the nuw ber of criminals, by rendering it difficult to commit Although your Committee consider this part of the subject to beof pre 7 eminent importance, and as some of the witnesses have said, to be all in all, yet thero are several other measures' which may come in aid of this system, aod may conduce materially to the prevention of crimes. - • With.this view, your Committee advert to the Police Office which has been established at Wap ping, called the Thames Police Office, for the de tedion of felonies, &c; committed' on the River Thames. The Magistrates of this office have alSo a jurisdielion co extensive with the' other Magis trates. Your COmmittce are fully convinced of the beneficial effects which have been derived from this -establishMent ; the increased protehiou which has been afforded ,to every Tecies of property on the river, furnishes the stronge,t proof of its utility.— But it is stated to your Committee,,that the, funds of this office are at present inadequate for such an increased establishment' as would be neeessary to guard the valuable property on the various wharfs and line of river from London • bridge' to Battersea ; added to-which, at certain periods . ot the tide, the communication between the parts of the river above and below London Bridge is so interrupted, that dut- • ing several hours the upper part of ilre river is con sequently open to great depredation. It is therefore recommended that ari additional number 'of boats should be provided, locally applicable to that part of the river above the bridge. It has also been represented, that the great and increasing population in - the neighbourhood of Greenwich, requites another Police Office on that sipe of the river. Your. Committee are informed, 'that it is now in the contemplation of 'Government to remove the Thames Police Office to the Surrey side for that purpose': this might then be made the office for an eighth divi,iorr, comprehending Green wich and the surrounding parishes. • - It has also been 1 - presented to - your Committee, that the most notorious pickpockets and other re puted thieves are permitted to frequent the public avenues of the town with impunity . , notwithstand ing the provisions of 32 Geo. 111. grade for the pur pose of their appreher,sion ; but the law, as it now stands, does not authorize the officer to apprehend them, unless, first, they are seen in some public avenue secondly, unless they are reptued thieves and thirdly, unless they are on the spot with the in tent to commit a felony: thiS can be proved only by . 'some overt ad which-they are seen to-commit, such as hustling, attempting the pocket, or the like. It. has been suggested, that if further , powers were given by the Legislature, the apprehension.of thee offenders would be greatly facilitated ; but, on the other hand, it has not occurred to your Committee that the powers already' given could be enlarged, consistently with the general liberty of the subject. Doubts, however, have arisen on the construction of this Ad, and the subsequent Ad-of 31 Geo. 111. whether they extend to the City of Loudon (pro- - perly so called), which is staled to your Committee to be at present the resurt of many teputed thieves, from the shelter afforded by the operation of the Ad being understood to be so limited ; it seeroc, therefore, desirable that it should be amended for ',this purpose. It is at present very difficult to prosecute to cort= vktioa the receivers of stolen goods ; but your Com mittee think that the evil would be much checked, endless facility wonld be rarirded ili the removal or stolen property, if the law with respe6 to the exe cution of .such %variants were gmended, and the Officer enable Idol force,. as well by night as . by day,. under the &et - lion of the IVbgistrates ; which .your Committee beg leave to suggest to the future, consideration of the finuie. It has been proved to your Committee, that haflk ney co tcbes. treqUently are used tor' the conveyance of stolen property in the night, and, to avoid de teaion, the iron plate with the proper number of the coach is frequently taken off and another sub stituted during the time they are in waiting; this might in some degree be remedied, by directing the prier number to be painted on the panne' of the coach, or by Sone sitiailar regulation. Your Committee, fully agree in the recommenda lion of a former_Committee (28th Report Finance), that the Magistrates should, have further means of rewarding their different Office., for any extraoidt 7 nary ai.ilivity and exertions, in Such a Manner as the circumstances of the case might require. If this power was given to a limited extent, it appears to your Committee, that,the Police Ottice - rsmigllt be preckided in future from participating in the .rewards ,given 'by:Act of Parliament., The reward.; are usually divided between the prosecutor and all the wit,- nesses I the Police Officer has only a small shire of them; but this circumstance sometimes - tierat ,against his credit as a witness, and to the defeat of public justice: it seems desirable, therefore, that as a public Officer, he shin:id be free froth any such ; impUtation, and that his services would, be best .re-' warded by the Magistrates, without depending on the convi6tion of the offender. - The great increasing expence attending all crititi nal prosecutions ha; been truly stated to be a great source of the impunity, and consequently of the inc' ease of crimes ;- and it seems highly deserting the attention .of the Legislature, whether the ex pences of proSecution to a 11mited extent, and in particular cases, which may be specified, might not with propriety be defrayed out of the Parish rates, or some other , general fund. Your Committee think that such a regulation would materially tet:a to an increased activity in the, prevention and pro secution of offenders, and the great relief 'of indi vidnals on whom these depreciations are committed. The Petitions from the licensed Ptiblicans, with regard to the stealibg of'Pewter Potg, having been re ferred to Your Committee, they have heard evidence on, the subject, and fi.; - id the extent of the evil to be great, notwithstanding the severity of the existing law; but it cities not occur to them, that the in. terest of the Petitioners can be so well guarded by any new Act of Legislature, as by, regulations which they are competent to make among them selves., , Having thus adverted to these subjects, which are most of them more or less intimately connected the immediate :object of their inquiries, your Committee cannot •Conclude their Report without mentioning the incongruity .which subsists in the system for the government of. the Metropolis, ow ing to the Chief and other Magistrates of the City of London., which is, situated in the centre of the Metropolis, being unable to pique, by their war rants, beyond the local limits of the City of L9n don (properly so cAled) gopds which may have been stolen within the limits of the City, and may have been removed beyond these limits. Your Committee conceive;_that the warrant of the City Magistrates shoilld have operation, without being backed by, any other . Magistrate within a circle, of five roles frn ru the Royal Exchange; and that warrants signed by County Magistrates, with in five miles of the Royal Exchange should ope rate within the local limits of the • City, without being backed by the City Magistrates. Yotir Coin mittee conceive, that such an intercommunity of jurisdiction could not fie considered as affectil:g any of the valuable .exclusive 60ns and privileg,s -of the City, particularly if it was limited to definite cases: , • Whatever the feelings or opinion of the Legis. lature might be upon this point, your Committee have conceived, that they could not avoid, after the evidence they had received, directing their attention to the subject. • Your Commits e are aware that there are many other points which may be considered asintimately connected with the subject of Police, and to . which they might have directed their attention ; there are many branches of the ,criminal law, many circum stances connected with the Modes in which such law is administered ;: the periods for which ofienders may be imprisoned., the places-. in which they may be confithd, and the' manner, in which they may be retrained again upon the_ community, atter the period of their imprisonment msy be elapsed ; all which subjects may be considered as intimately Connected with , Police, as they operate strongly both On the dispositions .which induce men to commit crirMs, and od those previous arrangements of pre,. Caution by. which crime may be prevented. But". as these subjects have .been referred to other Committees, your Committee have conceiv ed it to be their duty to confine their. investiga tions and their obsertiations to , those leading prin ciples of preventive., superintendance and controol; an,l to that syste - ut of provident vigilance, which, by watching assiduously over the intererests of the com munity, may in riotaio, without interruption, its good order and security. . Since your Cornmitee framed:their report, two resorts, made in the years 1770 and 1772, ,on the same subject, have been referred to ; and your Com mittee think it their duty to bring them at this time, to the notice of the House, in -the Appendix to this , RePoirt: 24th March ; 18:2. The 49th r , gicznent, commanded 'by the Hon.. General MAITLAND, is under orders to return to England, from Quebec. Suicine.—A young woman, not more than 1 8 years of age, wit' found dead in her bt.d yesterday mortfing,.in George-place, Oxford-streer, from the effeo of arsenic. This unfortunate girl,, uho had left her friends in Yorkshire but a few weeks, had expressed her' determination to rid herself of life, to a female friend, as long ago as-Sunday last ; and she had been observed several day's much &jetted. She left . her home with an officer, since gone to Por tugal, and had t brown herself au - the chances of 11;e .t own for support. OLD niiILEY, APRIL 8. The .Sestlong of Oyer anere. miner and of Ge;, neral -. Jail Delivery for tie- Ciiy of - London and County of, Misldlesex, -commenced this day at the Old BAley, before Mr. Justice BAILEY, Mr. liaron THOMPSON, the LORD MAYOR,, RECORDER, &C. JOSEpii • ThompsOn, alias Joseph Woodman - Thovip.. son g was charged with uttering' and forging a cer tain bill, or order fur payment, purporting to be the order of M. Dnwgale and Co. of No. 5 1 , Hermitage. street,. London Docks, for gok 2s. with intent td defraud' H.tro,ld Daniel, The circumstances of this ease are already fully known to our Readers. ' The bill having been pro* duced, was then tZ , ad, but on cornparlng it-- with the indictment, at the suggestion uf . Mr. GuRSIEY; it appeared that the date of the bill in the indict‘ went was stated'io be " London Dock ;" whereas in the bill itself the date, appeared to be " London, Docks." Upon the ground, therefore, of the bit not having been described veTtatim et literatini, the omission of the 'letter sin the indimnens,. Mr, GURNEY . submitted that the Prisoner was entitled to an acqutttal. The prisoner was aCcordinglY quitted. . POLICE. Bow-siagET.--Yesterday, an Officer of very re spectable connedions, was charged with an. atuanut, to Commit a most detestable offence by a boy, be tween eleven and tweiVe years. of age,, in New.. court, Old Brompton. The prisoner appeared ex tremely agitated at a charge of .such a natute being brought against him, and a number of his friends attended, and stated, that they did not believt d to be a man so disposed ; however; he not being able to rebut what the boy swore ; he was ordered to find bail, to answer the charge at the S ess i ons : John Edwards, a pawnbroker, was convidcd in the penalty of 51. for taking more interest than is allowed by Ad of.ParliatneLt ; however, it was con— sidered a.hard case, as it was charged by a boy, who delivers the pledges, the defendant having decliteed. business. FIA'iTON-GA Vyse was brought before the Sitting Magistrme, Mr. LEACH, for fur ther examination yesterday, when Williarn Raddori,. -of Upper Eaton-street, Pimlico,. underwent a long and.minute examination, to ,prove the identity of the prisoner as one of the passengers in the 'Donlon Coach on the. 2.1 of Mar, 1810, when it was robbed of a sum of 2500!. The witness stated, that he. . went two or three ,mornings ago into the prison of Newgate, and pointed out the prisoner as the per son most like one of his fellow-passengers in the coach on. the night of the robbery ; but ha%ing; only noticed his fellow 7 ttaveller at Egham, and more iniperfe6Aly at supper at Basingstoke, he did not 1)0 sitiyely identify, bus' on, belief, the prisoner, who. was again rernanded.for further investigat.on. MARLBOROUGH-STREET.-- , A workman, • lately in • the employ of .Mr. Gibbons, of Mary-lc-bonne Park, was charged With robbing' him. The pri4oner had absented. himself, and the prosecutor happened n 't with him in Diory•lane on Monday, wh en he ni,iue off with tlLe cry of " Stop thief !" by his own utterance, by which stratagem he ayoidcd deter:l - run for about three quartersrof a orile. On beii , g taken , to the Office, lie itgain got away from the ConStablevand was Ultimately secured, after tf hat chacea The prisoner was rernpnded for another examipa'' lion. • J. Gri f fiths, who wgs conviaed at the Shropsbiro Assizes tor the murder of Mr. Bailey, was exctll-: ed on Monday at Shrewshuiy. When he ascended the platform he howed to the niultitude, and ad dressed them in a firm and very 'audible voice " Wit h.er,"-said be, " rattier sit at borne and starve at your fire-sits in want, ; that you may die •peace, than do any thing that will Japing you to a • prison or a galloWs. I wish that it may be life to all these who come to see me die. Many of }'"to are affeoed at seeing me now.; but you will 80011 forget it. 0 ! look at me, and never forget tint: scene. Do not deceive yourselves, you cannot de ceiVe God., I thought . I could deceive Him, but have only deceived . myself. I see ma n y f aces ' hero whom I know to be' in the gall of bitterness ; bu t I hope to meet them in Heaven."—He requested thespeaators to join him in singing a hymn ; soon afterwards the platform dropped. , BIRTH. On .Wednesday last, in King's-road, Bedford-row, tI!F Lady of joseph Sladen,ksq. of a Son. 411ARRIED. On Monday, at - Southampton, 'MajorXeneral John Lind sey, to Miss J. Willie. The same day, at Mary-le-bonne Church, Captain -los' Vernon, of his Majesty's 2.2 d Dragoons, to' Sarah, second, daughter of the'late Key. Bernald FOurler, Redor of viortn-! ley; Herts. On Tuesday last, at Boltire Church, near Lymingt• n. Hants, John Kingston, Esq. eldest son of John Kingston , Esq. M. P. of Belmont, Hens, to Harriet Anne, eld.e.4 daughter of the late Hon. Mr. Justice Itooke. The - same day, at Westbury-upon-1 . 6m,, 'nutrias 1)11- Ow fort, near Bristol, to Mary Sybella, • thiuqhrer of I. Hill, Esti of DOWn House, Clc.nicestershire,' On the 7th inst. at,Hampstead, Thomas Harmnond, to Elizabeth Stanley, o f toe s.4ine place. • b/ IU. ROW. • MAS WOOD, of No. 35, Maiden-lane, Covent-garden; and Published by WII LIAM ARMICIF.I ScRIPPS,,South Molton,-stret, Gr)svp , or-sq:Art, No, i Strand where Advertisoments, Orders for Tuber, - Leiters toi the' Editor, 3k C. (post- . pairl), must be On the 3d inst. at Kellie Castle, Fiteshire, Harriut, claugbter of thie latelohn Lurfo.rd, Esq. of Market 1-iatbv rough. - - - On the 2Stil ulr. at Row Manse, the Rev. John Allan, ~n thelsth year of his are, ;had i ist of his Ministry. On Sunday , se:11114;h', the p 1 ion. I.l.eutenmit-General \Tem . 11 , Poulett, of Adifingt..n-ilut4e, liticks. .. •.j On the ist inst. at Ectin . bur : ;h, .Caroline, only &tighter o f .. 'I General Francis 1)11-n(tayi. At his st:at,...Grenviilc,,,,i . merielc, aged 9 3, john ma,sy, . • Esq. tormeily.Treasuter of that County. At his seat. Polarton,,, iu tit,: County of Carlow, at an ad- !, vanced period of lite, SirC. Burton, Bart. On hiday last, John Wing, Esq. of Thornry Abbey. • On Saturday, at hip seat at Campsall, in Yorkshire, • the 74th year of his age, Bacon Frank; Esq. for Many yea' an attive Nlay6trate fOr the IVest Ridingot , Yotk. 'The'saine nay, at Lamb-Abbey, tinnt, ,Dr. Orme, in his 135th year. • 0-n-the . 4th.inst. in Conduit-street, Hanover-square, W. A Itkr, sq. On Monday List, at Sidmonth, Dev n, in the 27th year, o( his age, William Creswell,L• :.q. second ~ : on of R. C. Cres well. Esq. of Dott.)%' Commons. The saint: day, at kl-ington, in the 2 tL year of his Mr. l'rancis . lorgan, third son of al john Morgan, of Luthzate hill }UGH WA 17ER AT LONDON BRI DG 1.'04410R- Morning, 53 min, after 12. j Evening, 19 min. ;titer ,Z