§ MR. BARNES (Glasgow, Blackfriars)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if his attention has been called to the case of Detective Alexander Smith, who retired last year from the Aberdeen police force on pension; whether he is aware that shortly before his time expired he was suspended, and was denied an opportunity of proving his innocence by the chief constable; whether the chief constable has, since Detective Smith left the force, given him a bad character, in consequence of which he has lost several appointments; and whether, considering this and similar cases, he will take steps to curtail the power of chief constables in the future, so as to make all acts regarding the men under them subject to an appeal to the magistrates or the Secretary of State.
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUEL (for MR. SINCLAIR)My right hon. friend has made inquiries, and has been informed that Detective Smith, who had already sent in his resignation, was suspended for reasons which were hold to be well founded. During suspension Smith received full pay and afterwards was entitled to his pension. It is not the fact that the chief constable has given Smith a bad character or 625 volunteered information, but when the applications referred to were under consideration, he was applied to by the Court authorities for information as to the circumstances of Smith's suspension, and in this connection he considered it his duty to supply the information desired. My right hon. friend does not consider that it is necessary to take the steps suggested by the hon. Member in the last part of his Question.