The Sun.
London, England, 1816-09-09 00:00:00

POLICE OF THE. METROPOLIS.

'Titus. EVANCII, Esq. a Magistrate attniok:hall,
• examined.]
Have you any other publiesituation of emolu-
?—None at all.

Do the three magistrates of your Office. attend
`regalarly pccording to the Act of Parliament ?-
111ey,(10 attel)(l as regularly, I believe, as the ma-
iList rates generally do; there is no cans.: acorn-

What are the hours of attendance ?--;-One ma-
gistrate attends from ten in the morning to three,
and fl tmi seven to eight in the evening ; the se-
'coin! magistrate attends from tivelve. o'clock at
Imon tilt three itithe afternoouraud does not at-
'tend .itrt,he evening.

So you have two .magistrates from twelve to
three in attendance, and one from ten to three 1--
Yei, one of the two, the other is considered as
attending the half day only. •
This is
,the case every day I—lt is, generally
t peaking..
it never happens that, either in the day-time or
the evening, there. is no magistrate at the office ?'
should hope never.
That never has happened in point of Tact
air% not aware of such a eirmnstittice ; a 'magis-
trate my be sent for to the Secretary of State's
*loflice, or called upon other duties of a public
nature, where be is obliged, to. attend ; and it
might happen in those cases, but not from, 'Men-
tio-nal neglect of the magistrate, I am pretty'
lure. • _ .

Bow many clerks arc them ?—lVe have two
'clerks.'

Have yott any assistant?--There is a young
itin who was brought into the office-, and Who is
rated and appointed as a constable ; the multi-
pen} of business we have at Union-hall required
ale assistant.
-What is the name of that young Man 1--Aldred;
we hue him for copying those examinations where,
the parties are cons iuttd for trial, %vhieh are fiat
taken down on paper by the chief clerk, to he
traesmitted:to the Sessions or Assizes, tliarthe
case mav alipeee on our booki.; 'We Alsii tiikk him
generally useful in the business Of the office..
Do the two clerks regularly attend their duty
daily 1--1: should hope -they do ; hut not_attesid•
ing 'de die in diem myself I cannot answer for it ;
it is their'duty lo.do• it, and if they are absent at
any:time: there is•tin inquiry.
‘l'lrenever you attend you always find the two
clerks -present 711,t,getierali
,they do not
dieuly come at the same. ; the senior clerk
We allow to codes art. hoUr later titan the junior
elet,k, that is
.ti,e; practice. at our 'face..
Do thify hold any otbet situation besides that of
clinks at that office iHrMe. Kitson, 1 believe, has
some situat ion. as a copying clerk in the• House
Lords, .hick oceopies his extra hours.
„Does either of -.3hetu practise as a solicitorl—
Mr. Reeves practises in, a 9tri44 degree as a soli-
citor.; litit,to_as not to interiere attendance.
ete.Cie ()Tee, which he is very regular.
Doel; be practise as a, solicitor in the office t
Vis, slopltl not allow.
v,4nio;l foci. it your duty as one of the nut-
gisti ate" to protest .sgiiittft., any.,6l your .clerks
acting .as solicitor eit!,er for the'proseeutor or de-
fewlant .
If Mr Reeves, the Chief Clerk, and Mr Kitson,
the.Secotol Clerk, constantly and regularly at-
tended their ditty would it be necessary to have
extra clerk 17-. From the multiplicity of business
have, it is impossible for us to
.do without, a
third perste; ; we take a great quantity. Of evideoce
which must, be copied to go to the. Sessions, or
the Aslizes; the business at Union Hall is incon-
ceitiable.
Von consider a third clerk as absolutely neces-
sary so conceive, but believe the Secretary
of State does not think• it right to allow, the ad-
ditional expellee of a third clerk, and therefore
Aldred is put on the footing of a constable
of the office.
What salary has be?-4-4 pine* a week.
Nominally a constable, and really acting as
clerk ?—Just so, acting.oecasionally in both
ca-
parities.
You. have seven office's, with Mr. Ahlredl—
:Eight, with him.
1.,D0,y0n consider that number of officers suffi-
oent for the duties of your establishment ?—lf
were to say that many niore were desirable
elemild not say ititproperty, for it is impossible,
with t he'ex,tent of the jurisdiction'of Union-hall,
thet -the duty of- the office can be sullicientlrat7
tatided to; by supplyittg the various demands upon
us, without further aid.
, .
n.
Mae is the extent of
.tnejurisdiction of your
blEce?---The parish of Clrrist Church, St-.
•St. George's, St. Olaves, St. John's,
St. Thomas's, the Clink Liberty of ',Southwark,
St. Maly Magdalen; Bermondsey (the land and
water side), St.. Mary itotherhithe, St. - Mary
Nl:Ny.ol4;ton, Walwortlr, Sr. Oiles'S Gat bcracll,
Peckaase, Dulwich, St. Mary Lateruetli,
,Vauxhall,
tiouth Lambethi'Stoelot ell and.Nnewontt, Brix-
ton,: Denmark:4llll, Streatham, Uppetl Tootiug
end Palaarni. the :Manor of Hatcham and the Nix-
Uor of St. Paul, Deptford how is it possible that,
with.onlyieien officers, we can be attending to
emelt- an iturneuse extent as our jurisdiction in-
cludesi ,
•
-Have you, any idea how Many 'miles -round it
19 should' think that, commencing froiu rise
lob( 0C London:bridgt,lliund the different parishes
to the extent ,of our jurisdiction, and returning
thro.ugh,ther 1-farishes Mu.the other side to'ttie toot
skiithe bridges, cannot:be less than between 30 and
40 miles'. . '•;-•
U,Ave, you soy notion of the extent of the pot.
pulatlont-t---Froin, the statistical return taken' un-
dr.r the 51-11i6. the amount-of the
ptvpufation. appears to :be' 127,312. •
yotrstate to the"COmmit fee,. upon an aver-
age,- what is the number of new cases which comes
lretore you dailt,,?-4 cannot answer that distinet-
ly ; ;but I recollect:the-Other, morning, that, hide,
petulent of other 11116illeSS, 1 heard nineteen assault
Ousts:: My broth 4 magistrates and thyself ace
e;-litseantly. occupied in endeavouring to reconcile
the.Alitfacht parties, and prevent their ping to
tlits Seesiotor. We frequently find. thit tote.

nrilers oldie peopie.v, tll actual v p&tvt tlaeti clothes
to take nut warrants.

YOU CQIIIMit to ITOrSettlOnCE-lane gaol ?
Yes.

Has any plan ever suggested itself.tO your mind,
by which a division could be.made of your eZten
iJve jtirisaietion, more for the advantage of the
public than exists at present ?-1 neVer. ttiolt 'it
into consideration ive heard that
there was once some talk 01 aniking u diVision,
removing the 'l'h; riles Police office, and,e3hiblish_
lug another office L., j;) 04,4• Oil the Stirreyside
of the water.

Flow loog has the race at M•ion-ball been
esttiblished ?-I—From the original ottiblishineut
the police; prcvions to that time %vas an office
attended by some the County' MaOtrates of
the division, and supported at their ovitteicpence,
in order to do away the improper piqtetiees of
some persons who, at that tifUe,'made a
trade
of
their office it was Called the Rotation-office,

,
ynti not IMO -the nustness of Union-hall
much dititinished since the appointment of an Al.
dermun .sit: in. Southwark I—That has, in some
measure; diinii ished. the business front u hart of
the district.
Do you not consider that the parishe, you first
named, situate in Southwark, • are taken out of
your. joribdietion by th,it arrangement 1--•;'No,, we
consider hat we have a coneutrentjurisdiction ;
but we., do but usually Interfere with those pa-
riihes , unless in. cases of felonies, or.wliere we Are
called on, and when the sitting.Alderioati is not
in attendance. 7 • •

17„,, ,do fiutl the hitsiness of your office din&
nished in thoserespecis ,—Certitinly, in a deg-ree.
Do you find that:diminution. so-great as to pre-
vent the naessfty tot curtailing the-extent of your
joristliction not aware of the rxiste„„, ut
that necessity, ••but have only suggested the
of some increase. upon 'the establit4lopetit, more
adequate .to that extent of Jurisdiction.
In the district .you describe' there are several
resident magistrates whauct, are there not ?—WO
wish those magistrates to undertake the parochial
business, and there are sonic who do'so. • •
Ilas,the poptdatiow of your district increased
very much since the e.itablishment of 'your office.?•
; think it none than tit-added...
Has nota great deal of land been covered with
buildings since the establishment of ytior Office
—A great deal ; Sr. George's-fields,
ton, and several small streets that. branch out
front those placeit,' and front the liortingh,
Do you at- yOttr office keep u,i a constant coi•-
rgipondeocewith the other six .1)111,ces, and the
oflice at Bow...street tneecOnecia month,.
and at those flutes confer upon any thing we have
to coininunicate ; but the reinrns Made every month.
tit the Secretary of State givt: the mAgistratcs an'
opportunity of meeting there ; and the Secretaty
of State enters'into the business of the respective
tilfees;and.if 'nitrating particular has recurred we
then report it to him.
Do von not think' that it' would. be very advis-
able, eorthe mut therance of public • justice, theta
daily coMmunication should be made •by all the
offices to each Other think it migh( indertain
C;181.5 ; but tbeil muit:fiave addi.tioUalloonls to
do it,' and it would be attended with trifuGle anti
expence ; anti in-many respects, where privacy is
desirable* pleat mischief might. result front it.
• Could not thaCcommunicat ion be matte by the
two.pentlypoSt :-I,tion., not.
In-point ,of, fact; Olt d the trouble be more
than the writing each a ley,er, detailing the capi•
tal offences brought before them ?••--1, hardly know
how it would be practicable lor.tiiat.ln tae done
from ,the Multiplicity of bw,iness In ought
hefure the.offite, and,is hetore observed,
in many cases oriadvislible,
DO you:not think that the speedy apprehension
tit off,lulets would be considerably facilitated, if
the offences' that are • brought before the ctq!niz-
Oneeof one pOlice ticere that very day.conthinni.-
rated to all the Others ?—1 tpiestion if it would
tre.possible, to' accomplish it, unless there.was one
person appointed specially for that purpose at each
Office. •
If it were practicable, would fit be desirable ?---
I but say I entertainve)'y:perions doubts
upon it, and the present.biaS of•My mind is, that
it would not.
nas it ever occurred to you that if.would be an
advisable arrangemeni to establish one eclat'sl pa-
lice•ollice., which should beconsiderettas the head,
and all the other offices.subordinate, and that a
regular correspondence should take place between
theta ?...J should think that Might be useful.