Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1891-10-24 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, 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 11 per cent. for the official 12 months extending from 1889 to 1890 as compared with the figures for the preceding year. The number of indictable offences reported by the police also shews a falling off. In the number of convictions for murder, however, than 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 1880 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 addi• tional 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 shews 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 70,0 r 479 per cent., were cases where the victim's age did not exceed one year. With regard to offences against the person as distinguished from those against property, the return shews that 3,547 ersons 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 midst. The commitments for burglary have been fewer during the past year than in 1889 by 40. Forgeries and what are called offences against the currency shew a considerable decrease. It is stated that the number of prosecutions undertaken by the Public Prosecutor, exclusive of Mint cases, amounted to 580, and that of these 380 were convicted. There were 4,829 males and 301 females undergoing punishment at the commencement 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 offenders committed to them in the year was 1,217, of whom 1,047 were boys and 170 girls—figures which shew 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, and 763 boys and 104 girls could do so only imperfectly.  raE