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79
description as is employed by the police in prosecuting other offenders under
the same Acts. The question of prosecution, moreover, is somewhat beyond
the scope of the request of the Vestry that police observation may be kept on
certain alleged disorderly houses. The practice hitherto has prevailed, on
the receipt of a complaint, for the Vestry to ask the local Superintendent
of Police to have the premises watched. The Superintendent thereupon
placed a constable on special duty to keep observation for a few days; the
result of each day's observation was communicated to the Vestry, at the
termination of the constable's special duty, and a prosecution was instituted
by the proper Parish Officers (and not by the Police) if the observation disclosed
facts in support of the allegation. The Vestry do not suggest that
this practice should be departed from, but, to ensure a conviction evidence
must be obtained, and it is difficult to see what body of men could be
employed in keeping observation on suspected houses more conveniently
or more in accordance with the spirit of the Act of Geo. 2, than police
constables.
It cannot be denied that brothel prosecutions expose persons undertaking
them to a certain amount of annoyance, and if the police evidence, which
has hitherto been available, is to be withdrawn, the difficulties and
unpleasantness of such prosecutions will be considerably increased.
Private individuals will shrink from giving evidence, and the Vestries have
no officers who could be employed to get up the case.
The Vestry extremely regret that the Commissioner should have arrived
at the decision not to permit Police Constables to be employed, in future,
in watching alleged disorderly houses with a view to proceedings being
taken by the Parish Authorities, and having regard to the difficulties
attending the definite adoption of such course, and in the interests of public
morality, which is essentially a question of Police, the Vestry direct me to
beg that this decision may be reconsidered, in the hope that the practice of
police observation, which has prevailed for so many years, may be
continued.
I am, &c.
The Commissioner being absent on leave, the reply to
this letter was delayed until the month of October, when a
communication, briefly stating that it is for the inhabitants
to produce evidence, was received by the Vestry.
In the meantime the Vestry had placed themselves in
communication with the Home Secretary, with a view to the