The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1886-03-09

VIZ called the attention Of the public
last week to the laxity of our police andto
the growth of crime. Circumstances have
occurred since then which have called out
protests as to police inaction from every
paper here. both Government and indie
pendept. The bold attempt upon Mrs. +.
Macfarlane's house, and the fact that the
would be robber was armed with a slung
shot, the report OF several other attempts
during the last week, has made people
feel uncomfortable.
1t ought to be as easy to find thief as
tin of opium, and yet the fact Is that the
opium is found and the thieves are not.
There ought TO be no difficulty in decid-
inc where it is likely the criminals are to
be found In so small community as
this the means Of livelihood of almost
every man in the place ought to be known
to the police They ought also to know
whether any strangers come IN, OF what
character these strangers are, where they
live, and many things about them. a care
full and efficient police would soon know
| if any particular man was given to prowl-
inr about the roads late at night, and such
a person would rightly fall under suspi
cion. In London, New York or Paris.
/ with their millions of inhabitants, when a
robbery Is committed the police are gen
erallv able to say. that Is the work OF an
old hand. it looks like Jack the fakeman,
or Pierre Larron. and at once these wor-
! thies are watched: or it may be SAID that
| is the work of new hand:" then there Is
no use in looking after the old birds, but the
new hand must be sought in likely quar-
tiers. knowledge of this kind our police
do not possess, and until they go system
atically TO work. and gather up lnforma
ton for ready reference they will never be
able to cope with our constantly increas
ing crime. d,
Then again the town is not sufficient!
policed. Who ever, except at funera
procession, or at telephone summons, saw
a policeman on Nuuanu Avenue above
Kukui street One gentleman of the fore
is usually to be found doing in the shade
seated on little stool and regaiing him
self on bananas. The same holds good o
Palama and the Plains. The districts il
which people have their homes are prac
ticallv unprotected. This of course, /
not the fault of the police. The Govern
mept. while asking for a Genealogy Boar
and like follies, did not ask for sutf1clen
funds for the police, and the consequence
is. that what few there are, are about tn
center of the city. while the outskirts ma
do the best they can with reyolyers, club
and shot-guns to protect themselves.
Not only then do the police require t
become more active and to display NOR
intelligence, but more means must be pit
at the disposal of the Department. Nor
over +be Marshal should have more powC
over his men. At present he has divide
responsibility, and the result is alway
what divided responsibility will brin
about. an unsatisfactory condition OF
airs. He is often blamed for what he ca
not help.
1t is to be hoped that the question
the police of the city will occupy the a
, tention of the Legislature, and that a bi
for comprehensive reform, which WI
assure the citizens that they will have thu
protection which is their due and who
they pay for, will be brought forward