§ MR. E. ROBERTSONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Government, having regard to the increase of crime and the failure to arrest certain criminals in Cyprus, will cause a searching and independent investigation to be made into the organisation of the Police Force, into the circumstances relating to the murders recently committed in Cyprus, and particularly into those appertaining to the murder of an advocate named Michailides, at Kyrenia, in February last, and the recent case of poisoning of Aghissilaos Artemis in that district?
§ BARON H. DE WORMSThe constitution and duties of the Cyprus Police Force have engaged the constant attention of the Colonial Office, and have quite recently formed the subject of inquiry and Report by a strong Local Commission composed of officials and natives; and new measures have been devised for obtaining a better class of recruits for the force, and for distributing them more widely through the villages than heretofore, so that the law-abiding may be encouraged to report crime, and prompter measures may be possible for obtaining evidence against criminals. In these circumstances, the Secretary of State does not propose to direct a new investigation. His attention has not been called to the two cases mentioned by the hon. Member, but he will make inquiry.