The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1901-02-13 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

WEDITESDA.Y, F4BEIJANY 13, 1901.  In his annual report lately Birkenhead issued, the Chief Constable PoliN4 (Mr. W. S. Davies) gives some Statistics. interesting statistics relating to the police establiehment. The strength of the force, it appears, is 1 ('hie' constable, 1 superintendent, 18 inspector!. 0 sergeants, and 157 constables; ewe wasbables being. required to complete the _full strength in all 'ranks. The net wet ei the foroe last year Was £14,422, pr £99 Ps. 2d. per constable. 6.23 d. per pound rateaisle value, and 2s. 104 d. per inhabitant The courinct of the polio. hae, on the whole, been good. There have been three dismissais, and six resignations; five members of the force have been pensioned, and 39 have been specially rewarded for acts of merit. The physique of the force is good, the average height being sft. 101 in. Of indictable °fences there were 634 crimes caramitted. • decrease of 122 on the returns cf the previous year, accounted for by the fact that 124 fewer ousts of minor larcenies were re. ported. Out of tlie total, 373 offenders were b rOttitht to jucl. Non-indictable offencs. show a decrease of 78--from 3,799 offences last year to 8,728 this year. The decrease is accounted for by 86 fewer prosecutions for •ffences against local Act* and bye-laws. During the year 143 melee and 14 females uncle/ the age of 16 years were apprehended. 108 being convicted and 45 disoharged. There is • decrease on the year of 40 in the nuastrer at juvenile offenders. During the year 2.031 persons were locked up in the bridewells, or an increase of 116 on the previous year. The number of eases dealt with on Informations in the borough was 1,459, a decrease et 200. 173 cases were dismissed. Twelve victuallers and four bear-housewere preeeeded against for offeirees the lAceneree Act; 6 caste resulted 6 cases were diemiesed, and 1 withdrawn. In the borough there lisesseed houses, sad sthare were 719 **rioted of drunken*** during the year, an increase of 64 over 18113 and tde lesiona ember for the Isne ten years. 01  Of the  total  kcvnsed  con' Its. IV  kviatiolu.  lire  *scions  the convicted persons, 54 were drunk after 1230 p.m. on Sundays. 21 easeu of supplying children under 13 years of age with intoxicating liquor for consumption of the premises have been repotted, and in eaeh case notice has been seat to the licensee, and also to the owners, calling their attention to the wishes of the justices in the matter. There wore 162 inquests held during the year, as against 155 for the previous year. Premises found epen or insceure by the police numbered 10,145, an increase of 1,004 00 lent year. Special arrangement/ have bean made for watching housm during the absence of owners, and in tills way 1,160 houses have received police supervision, and the Chief Constable states he would be glad if more householders availed themselves of these arrangements by notifying the pence of their absence from home. Regarding the murder of Fell, the watchman at tho General Post Office, the Chief Constable observes that "the murderer got away, leaving no trace or clue behind him to assist the police in their investigations. The bank notes, which formed part of the proceeds of the robbery, have not, so far as is known up to the preeent, been put into circulation. The police have given this serious crime their close attention, and are still engaged in inveetigating it." Since the report we towed. a number of remarkable burglaries have taken place, the particulars of which were given in our issue on Saturday. In tracing the perpetrators of these, as well an the Post-office murderer, it is to be 'hoped the efforts of the Birkenhead colic* will speedily achieve success.  I