§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether anyone has been made amenable in respect of the recent murder of a woman in the 1576 Cork Park; whether there have been any complaints as regards the absence of a police patrol at night in the vicinity mentioned; whether there was any patrol there on the night of the murder; and, if not, what was the reason; could he state what is the number of policemen now serving in the city, and how many are on day duty and night duty respectively; and whether the Police Authorities will arrange to have a police patrol sent into the suburbs at 7 p.m., instead of at 8.30 p.m. as at present, especially on Sunday evenings?
MR. J. MORLEYNo person has yet been made amenable for the murder of this woman, but the police are still hopeful of tracing the perpetrators of the crime. It is a fact, I understand, that complaints were made as to the absence of police patrols in the vicinity mentioned, though it appears that at the late Cork Assizes the Judge expressed himself satisfied that there had been no-neglect of duty in the matter on the part of the Constabulary. There was, I am told, a patrol in the vicinity on the night of the occurrence. The total strength of the Cork City Force is two District Inspectors and 193 men of all ranks, of whom 65 are employed on day and 92 on night duty, and there are 11 mounted men and eight detectives who perform day and night duty indiscriminately. There are also six rural stations with a total strength of 30 men, who are constantly patrolling towards the city. As to the last paragraph, it is reported that patrols do not start for the suburbs at 8.30 p.m., as alleged, but at 7 p.m., as a rule, and sometimes as early as 6.30 p.m. The Sunday patrols invariably start earlier.