§ MR. G. GREENWOOD (Peterborough)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether inquiries with reference to the case of Mrs. Penn Gaskell and Miss Smith, made subsequently to 4th November last, have shown that the information supplied by the police was erroneous in several material particulars; and whether, in view of the desirability in the public interest that cases of this nature should be submitted to independent investigation, he will take steps as soon as may be to give effect to the recommendation of the Royal Commission upon the duties of the Metropolitan Police that an officer duly qualified by a knowledge of the law and experience in legal proceedings, acting under the direct superintendence of the Chief Commissioner, should be appointed for the purpose of dealing with complaints against the police by private persons and conducting inquiries into them.
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (MR. GLADSTONE, Leeds, W.)The information supplied by the police, and given in reply to my hon. friend's Question on the 4th. of November, was erroneous in one particular. The woman who was in the waiting room when these ladies were brought to the Police Court was charged with being a prostitute. The gaoler had made a mistake as to the particular woman who had been in the room during the fifteen or twenty minutes that these ladies were there. The mistake was not unnatural, seeing that when inquiry was made of him, ten days had elapsed since the day in question, and no less than seventy four charges had been dealt with on that day. On the other hand, as I have already pointed out privately to my 669 hon. friend, some undoubted misstatements have been made, both to me, and in letters to the Press, by those interested on behalf of these ladies. The recommendations of the Police Commission are now under my consideration, and in particular the question how effect can best be given to the important suggestion mentioned in my hon. friend's Question.
§ MR. G. GREENWOODWill the right hon. Gentleman ascertain if the door of the cell was not locked some part of the time the ladies were detained?
§ * MR. GLADSTONEI am informed it was closed, but not locked.