MR. P. O'BRIENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether for every prosecution instituted against a licensed publican in Ireland by an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary a reward of 5 s. per case is given to the constable if he was riding a bicycle when he detected the offence; will he explain why no reward of the kind is given if the constable prosecuting does not use a bicycle; whether there is any section of the Royal Irish Constabulary Police Code authorising this reward; and, if so, what section; for what special reason was this reward to cycling constables instituted; and whether it will be given in future to constables on foot who discharge similar duties?
§ MR. G. BALFOURThe reply to the first paragraph is in the negative. The section of the code to which the honourable Member refers is as follows—
Whenever any member of the force performs any important duty, such as an arrest, 372 detection, etc., by means of riding a bicycle, the case is to be specially reported to the Inspector General, giving full particulars.In any such case a small reward might be paid to a member of the force, but each case is considered on its own merits, and the duty must be shown to be more than ordinary duty. The object in giving such reward is to encourage the police to use their bicycles as a means of detection, the cycles being their own property. Rewards for services of exceptional merit are not confined to constables using bicycles, as the honourable Member assumes.