Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-21

criminal investigations, London, has Just pub
lished an abridged edition for the use of the
lower ranks of his "Police Code and Manual of
the Criminal Law" For this Mr.. Justice Haw-
kins, London, has written a preface, in which
he gives some advice to police constables. He
says:
First of all, let me impress upon YOU the
necessity of absolute obedience to all who are
placed in authority over you and rigid obser-
vance OF every regulation made for your general
conduct. Such obedience and observance
regard as essential to the existence Of a police
force. Obey every order given to you by your
superior officer without for moment question
ing the propriety of it. You are not responsible
for the order but for obedience Depend upon
must, when On duty, allow nothing but your
duty to occupy your thoughts. You must
studiOusly avoid all gossiping. You must
not lounge about though your sole object
was to amuse yourself and kill the hours
during which the public has right to your best
services and during which constant vigilance
and attention to what is passing around you is
expected from YOU 1t is this gosspng Iounging
habit which sometimes gives rise to the observa-
ton that policeman is never to be found when
he is most wanted. / wish you to feel the i'm
Portance of steady, constant endeavOr by your
vigilance to prevent crime as much as possible.
and not by your negligence tempt persons to
commit it. as you do if You fail in attention to
your tulN- 10 my nina. the COnSCaDle who
k"els his heat free from crime deserves much
more credit than he does who only counts up
the number Of convictions he has obtained for
o1fenses committed within it, 1t is true the
latter makes more show than the former but
the former is the better officer. Whatever duty
you may be called on to perform, keep curb
on your temper. An angry man is as
unfit for duty as drunken one and
is incapable of calmly exercising that discre-
ton which constable is so often called
on to exercise. Be civil and listen re-
specially to everybody who addresses YOU,
and. if occasionally you are demonstrated
with for the course yon are taking, do not
Hastily Jump to the conclusion, as some consta-
bes do. that the person who so demonstrates
wishes to obstruct YOU in the execution or your
dnty Beware OF being over-zealous or meddle-
some. These are dangerous faults. Let your
anxiety be to do your duty. but no more A
meddesome constable, who interferes unneces-
sarily upon every trifiing occasion, stirs up i'll
feeling against the force. and does more harm
than good. Avoid hardness and oppression, be
nrm but not brutal, make only discreet use of
your powers. If one person wishes to give
another into your custody for felony, you are
not absolutely bound to arrest. You ought to
exercise your discretion, having regard to the
nature OF the crime the surrounding circunl-
stances. and the condition and character of the
accuser and the accused Be very careful to dis
hnguish between cases of illness and drunken
hess Many very serious errors have been COM
united for want of care in this respect Much
discussion has IN various occasions arisen touch
ING the conduct OF the police in listening to and
repeating statements OF accused persons
will try. therefore, to point out what | think is
the proper course for a constable to take with
regard to such statements. When a crime has
been committed. and you are engaged in en-
deaVurlng TO discover the author of it. there is
no objection TO your making inquiries of, or
putting questions to. any person from whom
you think you can obtain useful information
lt Is your duty to discover the criminal if Won
can, and to do this you must make such inqu
RES. and If in the course of them you should
chance to tnterrogate and to receive answers
from man who turns out to be the criminal
himself, and who inculpates himself by these
answers, they are nevertheless admissible in
evidence, and may Toe used against him. When,
however a constable has warrant to arrest, or
Is about to arrest person on his own authority.
or mas person in custody for crime it is
wrong to question such person touching the
crime OF which he is accused Neither iudre
magistrate. nor juryman can interrogate an
accused person, and require him to answer
questions tending to criminate himself
Much less. then, ought a constable to do so.
whose duty AS regards that person is simply to
arrest and detain hun in safe custody On ar
resting man the constable ought simply to
read his warrant or tell the accused the nature
or the charge upon which he is arrested leay-
ing 1t to the person SO arrested to say ANYTHING
or nothing, as he pleases PERHAPS the best
maxim for constable to bear In mind with re-
spect 10 an accused person Is, Keep YOUR ewes
ana your ears open, and your mouth shut BY
silent Watchfulness YOU will hear all you ought
10 near Never act unfairly to prisoner by
coaXing him by word or conduct to divulge
anything. If you do, you will assuredly be Sc
verely handled at the trial. and it is not unlikely
your evidence will be disbelieved. In detailing
any conversation with an accused person, be
sure to state the whole conversation from the
commencement ho
used; and. in narrating facts state every fact,
whether you think 1t material or not tor
you are not the Judge of its materiaty.
Tell, in short. everything; as well that which
Is IN favor OF an accused as that which is against
MN. f0r your desire and anxiety must be to be
far and assist the innocent. and not convict any
man by unfair means, such as by suppressinr
something which may tell in his favor even
though YOU feel certain of his guilt Unfairness
Is sure to bring discredt upon those who are
guilty OF it. cannot too strongly recommend
every constable. however good he NAV fancy
his memory to be, to write down word for word
every syllable of every conversation in which
an accused has taken part and of every state
ment made to him by an accused person. and to
have that written memorandum with him at the
trial. The last but most important duty would
enJo'n upon you is, on every occasion. Speak
the ruth. the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth Let no considerations, no anxiety to ap-
pear OF Importance in case. no desire to procure
:" Noii' iclloi VI al dc4'littal. no temptation OF
any sort induce you ever to swerye one hairs
breadth from the truth-the bare. plain simple
truth. Never eXaggerate, or in repeating a
conversation or statement add tone or color
to it. EXaggeration is often even more danger
Gus than direct falsehood, for it is an addition of
u false color to truth; 1t is something more than
the truth. and it is most dangerous because it
is difficult to detect and separate that which is
eXaggeratl0n from that which is strictly true:
and man Who eXaggerates is very apt to be
led on to say that which he knows to be false.
On the other hand, suppress no part of CONVEX
satlon or statement. nor any tone or action
which accompanies it, for everything YOU sup
press is short of the whole truth Remember
always what reliance is of necessity placed in
courts OF justice upon the testimony of police
men, and bear constantly in mind that in many
cases the fate OF an accused man, which means
MS life or his liberty. depends upon
that testimony, and seriously reflect how fearful
a thlng 1T is for man to be convicted and nut
TO death, or condemned to penal servitude or
Imprisonment, upon false testimony. Remem-
per, also. when you are giving evidence that
you are not the person appointed to determine
the guilt or the innocence Of person on his
trial. nor have you any right to express an opin-
ION upon the subject. Your duty is a very SIM
pie and easy one, namely, to tell the court all
you know. The responsibility of the verdict.
whether it be guilty or not guilty, rests entirely
in nr fbo /:c