Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1867-11-02 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1867. ----THE POLICE SYSTEM.  Or ALL the institutions of our social fabric there is not one which entails so much expense upon the country, in proportion to its services, as that of the police system. For purposes of a political character its organisation is perhaps too perfect ; but for all purposes for which the force was originally established it seems greatly defective. Clever thieves, like Counsellor Caseley, laugh at it, and might perhaps continue to commit their burglaries with impunity but for the Samson-like weakness of admitting women to their confidence. We hear much about the ability and cleverness of detective officers ; but, after the sad exhibition they have made of themselves in the Cannon-street murder and the recent assassination in Bloomsbuiy, to say no. ..  thing of minor failures which are continually coming before the public, we think we have just reason to doubt their skill and efficiency. More than this, from the manner in which they conduct their investigations and pursue their inquiries, we begin seriously to entertain the opinion that they are frequently a dangerous body to the commonwealth. Consistent in one thing, and that is hard swearing, no man is safe upon whom their suspicion falls. To arrest a man justly or unjustly seems to matter little to them. When a robbery or a murder is committed, they seem to think that their responsibility as regards the crime ceases as soon as they have taken some one up on suspicion, and that their only business then is to make out a case against their prisoner, regardless of the points in his favour. They set out upon a few broad facts—place, time, and identity—and if they are lucky enough to associate these in connection with some unfortunate individual who perchance may incur their suspicion, there is never wanting anything on their part in the way of connection or corroboration of testimony. The case of the poor Italian whose neck was saved from the gallows by the disinterested but persevering efforts of his countryman, Mr. Negretti, is too fresh in our memory to be easily forgotten ; and the trumped-up case against Groves for the murder of M'Donnell is another painful instance in which an innocent man has been rescued from an ignominous death. So far as the evidence of the police went, it was decidedly criminatory. More than this, the witnesses which they brought into the case were of the very worst character. One admitted, upon sharp cross-examination, that he was in the habit of serving as a witness to the police ; and another, Mrs. Jenman, proved so unworthy and contradictory, that even the police themselves were obliged to throw her over. • But, had this woman been a little more consistent and ingenious in the construction of her villainous tissue of falsehoods, it is more than possible that the police would have supplemented it, procured a conviction, and consigned their victim to the scaffold. And what has happened to Groves may happen to any other man. While the police are at the same time allowed to receive-blood-money and give evidence upon oath, no man's life or liberty is safe. Swearing with them is a business, and they proceed about it coolly. One opens the case; the others are in court, and in their turn corroborate the version, until there is a chain of evidence of such apparent strength that, in the absence of tangible counter-proof, it would hang the most innocent man. After the number of cases which have recently occurred in which the police have been at fault, we trust that magistrates and jurors will receive their evidence with great caution.