Weekly News. — 1891-10-22 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

YEAR'S JUDICIAL STATISTICS.  A Blue-book has just been issued bearing upon crime and the means taken to guard against it. upon prisons, and upon proceedings in law in its various branches. With regard to crime, the returns for England and Wales shew a decrease of 1.4 per cent. for the official 12 mouths extending from 1889 to 1890 as compared with the figures for the preceding year. The number of indictable offences reported by the police also skews a falling off. In the number of convictions for murder, however, th2re has been an increase from 20 to 24. The strength of the police and constabulary in the whole of England and Wales is set down at 39,221, an increase of 1,264 as compared with the previous year. This is equal to one constable for every 752 of the estimated population of 1890. The additions which have been made to the police and constabulary since 1330 amount to 7,733, but the effect of the increase has been almost counterbalanced by the, augmented population. The cost of these organisations for the year was £3,846,508, which represents an additional expenditure of £112,000 when compared with that for the previous year. Of this sum nearly £163,000 went for superannuation and gratuities. There were 146 murders committed last year, which skews an increase of 12 as compared with the return of the preceding 12 months. The attempts to commit this capital crime numbered 58, and the number .of cases in which, without defining the actual intention. people were shot, stabbed, or otherwise wounded, is 830. Of the 146 murders no fewer than 70,nr 47.9 per cent., were cases where the victim's ae did not exceed one year. With regard to offences against the person as distinguished from tbeso against property, the return shews that 3,547 persons had charges of this kind made against them, and that in 918 cases the magistrates did not find themselves 'justified in longer detaining the prisoners. Violent attacks against people for the purpose of effecting robberies numbered as many as 6,095; but only 2,356 persons were arrested in this connection, and even of these 541 were discharged. It is suggestive of the risks to which the inhabitants of London are exposed to learn that last year there were 1,323 "known thieves" at large in their midat. The commitments for burglary have been fewer during the past year than in 1689 by 44. Forgeries and what are called • offences against the - currency shew a Considerable decrease. It •is statkd that the nember of preset utioes undertaken. by the Public Prosecutor; exclusive of Mint cases, amounted to 530, and that of thes,‘ 380 were convicted. There were 4,829 males and 301 fsmales undergoing punishment at the commeneemems of the official year, and the total for the 12 months numbered 6,613, of whom 396 were women. There are 46 certified reformatory schools in England and Wales. The number of juvenile off,mders committed to them in the year was 1,217, of whom 1,047 were boys and 170 girls—figures which skew a decrease of .93 males and 29 females. Of these 153 lads and 27 girls could neither read nor write when they were received into the reformatories, awl 763 boys and 104 girls could do so only imperfectly.