Mr. Beames then addressed the court upon the necessity of adopting the powers given them by a recent act of parliament for the establishment of a constabulary force in the rural districts, but previous to doing so the deputy clerk of the peace read three requisitions from the Lymington, Petersfield and Isle of Wight divisions, praying the court to take the necessary steps required by the act. The requisition from the Petersfield division stated that numerous felonies had, during the last few years, been committed in the district, particularly the crime of sheep-stealing, only two convictions for which crime had taken place during the last ten years; several cottages had been broken open, and other outrages committed, which it attributed the want of a sufficient police.—Mr Beames then addresses the court : He said a commission, consisting of three gentlemen, had been appointed by the late King to inquire into this subject, whose powers had been continued by her present Majesty, and the result of their labours was a report of great importance to the public. It was drawn up with great temperance, and without undue bias, and was one of the most valuable ever presented to the public. Numerous facts were adduced throughout the report which would enable every one to form his own judgement. The learned gentleman then proceeded to state, that from the facts elicited by this report one was, that there appeared to be 100,000 persons in England and Wales who lived entirely upon depredations. The persons convicted bore no proportion to the offences committed, for a variety of causes operated to prevent crimes being brought to the knowledge of Magistrates at all. The apprehension does not always lead to conviction. Many persons declined to prosecute, either through mistaken notion of humanity, or from fear of the expense, and rather submit to the depredations committed upon them. He instanced the city of Bristol, where, out of nearly 300 persons who appeared as witnesses before the Magistrates to support charges of felony, 200 refused to prosecute. This was an appalling circumstance; for the chance of a criminal escaping under such a state of things was so great as materially to increase crime. He explained that the great number of refusals to prosecute at Bristol proceeded from a practice which had prevailed there of allowing the person robbed to choose if they would prosecute or not. He went on to say that the facts were that 100,000 persons were committed annually, and 40,000 of these were for depredations upon property. Many of these persons had families depending upon them, and if these were added to the number, the reflection was most appalling indeed, that such a number of persons were now living in this country upon the property of others, and in open violation of the law. The cause of this was attributable to the inefficient state of the constabulary force and the want of a rural police for the prevention and detection of crime. He quoted Lord Coke as an authority defining the sort of person a constable should be, and argued that such a force was strictly constitutional, and proceeded to describe the sort of persons now generally employed, and their total unfitness for the office, as they were often themselves the most profligate and worthless characters in the neighbourhood. Another point to which he called their attention was, that although our gaols are emptied six or seven times a-year, they are again filled, although capable of containing from 12,000 to 20,000 persons, and many, nay, the greater part, leave prison more determined and accomplished thieves than when they go in. The remedy for this state of things was the establishment of a rural police or constabulary force, and they were relieved from any difficulty in the formation of such a force, and from doubts as to its efficacy, by the already tried experiment of the London and other police. The necessity of protection to property may be inferred from the fact that 500 associations now existed for the protection of the property of the members and the prevention of crime. He was not aware if any opposition was to be made to his motion; but he hoped the question would not lose by the fact of its being brought before them by a person of so little weight as himself. He trusted they would look at it as importance demanded. He had looked with much anxiety into the establishment and proceedings of police, and he had not found one to have failed. In Stowe, on the Wold, in Gloucestershire, which was the centre of a circle of eighteen miles in diameter, and which had for the last few years been deluged in crime, the assistance of two London policemen had been obtained, and in a very short time the effects were almost miraculous. Sheep-stealing was a most common offence, and now the crime has entirely ceased, only two offences of that description having been committed during the last two years. It was stated the magistrates in that neighbourhood had now nothing to do. He hardly knew if this was "a consummation devoutly to be wished," but he thought it was. He then proceeded to say that a great improvement had taken place in the morals and habits of the population of Stowe on the Wold, who finding their usual mode of living cut off, had turned their intention to industry as a means of subsistence, and to become honest members of society. The facility for living more luxuriously which thieving offered over industry, was so great, that some strong preventive check was necessary to compel persons living in remote places to habits of industry, otherwise they too often become marauders on public property. Another point of importance was the expense at which this proposed measure could be effected. It was estimated that two millions was now paid for repressing and punishing crime throughout the kingdom, including the salaries of the Judges; and the report of the commissioners stated, that taking the whole country into consideration, the expense of a constabulary force, including the salaries of the chief constables, would not exceed half a million. This calculation was founded upon a rate of 1½d. in the pound in the year 1815. Another great point was, the injury which arose to the morals of the people from the present state of things. Suppose a thief lives at the rate of 10s. a-week, what a sum did this amount to, looking at the number of persons living by depredation, as stated in the report. But when they considered that to procure this ten or twelve shillings weekly, he must steal to the amount at least thirty or forty shillings; seeing that the produce of his depredations must be disposed of at a ruinous price, some estimate may be formed of the extent of property stolen. The depredations in the town of Liverpool alone had been estimated at £700,000 in one year, a sum alone greater than that required for the constabulary force of the kingdom. Another point persons were liable to overlook was, that by the appointment of an efficient force the county rates would be much reduced by the diminution of crime throughout the kingdom, as a great proportion of those expenses were the result of expense attending the prosecutions for depredations on property. The difficulties of living by depredations, too, will be so much increased that the consequence must be to compel thieves to turn their attention to industry and labour as the more profitable employment. The terms of the act of parliament were somewhat vague, as it required the Magistrates to act upon the fact being made to appear that there was a necessity for this force; but this could only be done by the statement of Magistrates as to the particular state of crime in their districts, as no evidence could be examined upon the point. He therefore argued that requisitions from the districts, such as had been presented to the court, was a sufficient ground for its acting. The actual committals or convictions afforded no real data of the state of crime, as many were committed where no detection followed. There was one other point which it was necessary the court should bear in mind—the number of men to be employed, which had been estimated at 8,000. The learned gentleman concluded by moving—

"That it was desirable to adopt within this county the provisions of an act made and passed in the second and third years of the reign of her Majesty, intituled 'An Act for the establishment of County and District Constables, by the authority of the Justices of the Peace.'"

     Captain Blakiston seconded the resolution, and said that his learned friend had anticipated every argument he had meant to have used; and he must therefore content himself with seconding the resolution. Some may object, perhaps, to the placing at the disposal of the Government the number of men stated as necessary, but now that we had a full representation of the people, no government could be dangerous by such a force. He said we had a full representation. We had not yet a full representation, but he trusted we soon should have, and then objection on that head would be done away.

     A long discussion then ensued as to the course the Committee should pursue, and the time when it would be necessary and able to make a report. Some discussion too took place as to the separate jurisdiction of the Isle of Wight, but as it was all matter of detail and totally uninteresting, we do not think it necessary to report it. An amendment to Mr. Breemes's motion was submitted to the Court to the effect that a Committee should be appointed to take the question into consideration, and report thereon at the next Sessions. This amendment was agreed to by the consent of Mr. Breemes, and a Committee appointed, to consist of one magistrate from each division, their first meeting to take place at the Grand Jury Chamber, Winchester, on the first week in December, of which, however, due notice will be given. The Court then adjourned.

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