STATE PAPERS. 



337 



importance, and as some of the 

 witnesses have said, to be all in all, 

 yet there are several other mea- 

 sures which maj' come in aid of 

 this system. 



With this view the police office 

 at Wapping, called the Thames 

 Police Office, for the detection of 

 felonies, &c. committed on the ri- 

 ver Thames, is noticed. Its funds 

 are inadequate for such an esta- 

 blishment as would be necessary 

 to guard the property on the line 

 of river from London bridge to 

 Battersea. An additional number 

 of boats should be provided for the 

 river above bridge. 



The increasing population in the 

 neighbourhood of Greenwich re- 

 quires another police office on that 

 side of the river. It is in the con- 

 templation of government to re- 

 move the Thames Police Office to 

 the Surrey side, for that purpose: 

 this might then be made an office 

 for an eighth division. The most 

 notorious pickpockets and other 

 reputed thieves, are permitted to 

 frequent the public avenues of the 

 town with impunity, notwithstand- 

 ing the provisions of 32 Geo. III. 

 made for the purpose of their ap- 

 prehension : but the law, as it now 

 stands, does not authorize the officer 

 to apprehend them, unless, first, 

 they are seen in some public 

 avenue; secondly, unless they are 

 reputed thieves; and, thirdly, un- 

 less they are on the spot with the in- 

 tent to commit a felony. Tiiis can 

 be proved only by some overt act 

 which they are seen to commit ; 

 such as hustling, attempting the 

 pocket, or the like. It has been 

 •uggested, that if further powers 

 were given by the legislature,the ap- 



Erehenaion of these offenders would 

 e greatly facilitated; but on the 

 Vol. LIV. 



other hand, it has not occurred to 

 your committee that the powers 

 already given could be enlarged 

 consistently with the general liberty 

 of the subject. Doubts, however, 

 have arisen on the construction of 

 this act, and the subsequent act of 

 51 Geo. III. whether they extend 

 to the city of London (properly so 

 called), which is stated to be at 

 present the resort of many reputed 

 thieves, from the shelter afforded 

 by the act being understood to be 

 so limited ; it seems therefore de- 

 sirable that it should be amended 

 for this purpose. 



It is at present ver}' difficult to 

 convict receivers of stolen goods ; 

 but your committee think that the 

 evil would be much checked, if the 

 law with respect to the execution 

 of search-warrants were amended, 

 and the officer enabled to put them 

 in force as well by night as by 

 day, under the direction of the 

 magistrates. 



Hackney coaclies frequenly are 

 used for the conveyance of stolen 

 property in the night, and, to avoid 

 detection, the proper number of the 

 coach is frequently taken off, and 

 another substitutedduring the time 

 they are in waiting ; this might in 

 some degree be remedied, by di- 

 recting the proper number to be 

 painted on the pannel of the coach. 



Your committee fully agree in 

 the recommendation of a former 

 committee (28 Report Finance), 

 that the magistrates should have 

 further means of rewarding their 

 officers for extraordinary activity 

 and exertions, as the case might 

 require. If this power was given 

 to a limited extent, the police offi- 

 cers might be i)recluded in future 

 from participating in the rewards 

 given by act of parliament. The 



Z rewards 



