MOTION FOR PAPERS. (Hansard, 11 July 1862)

THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDE
rose, according to notice, to move an Address for— Copy of a Representation of the Inefficiency of the Irish Constables to prevent or detect Crime, in consequence of the Military System by which they are organized and governed, made to the Irish Government by the Grand Jury of the County of Tipperary assembled at the Assizes lately held in Clonmel: And to ask whether Constables are required to communicate with their superior Officers in Dublin, or elsewhere, before executing a Warrant signed by a Justice or Justices of the Peace in Irish Counties? The noble Marquess said that his contention was that the Irish constabulary were, in consequence of their military organization, however suitable it might render them for the defence of the country from a foreign foe or an insurrection, materially detriorated in their efficiency for the prevention and detection of crime, and in that opinion he was supported, not only by the opinions of the Judges, but by those of every one who was connected with Irish affairs, except the Lord Lieutenant, the Chief Secretary, the Under Secretary, and the Chief of the Constabulary. No 216 men could be better conducted or more meritorious than the members of the force, but the faults of the system prevented their discharging the duties the performance of which was required of them. He did not believe that there was a general Ribbon conspiracy throughout the whole of Ireland, but cases of Ribbonism occurred here and there; yet it was very significant, that if an extensive society of that nature existed, the constabulary had not succeeded in convicting a single man of that crime of late years, and made no mention of it in their returns. It was also a very startling fact that, according to the last returns, out of 324 cases of malicious incendiarism, for which 61 persons were arrested, only 17 were convicted. It was well known that several murders of the most grievous description had lately been committed; the criminals were generally well known, and yet in many cases they escaped apprehension. It was the fault of the police system that justice was thus defeated. Twenty-three gentlemen of the grand jury of Tipperary had deliberately expressed their conviction that since a military character had been given to the constabulary their usefulness as a domestic force had been impaired. They pointed out that military arms and accoutrements deprived the police of the free use of their limbs, and rendered impossible for them to pursue delinquents over a close or hilly country. To equip the men in that way was as absurd as it would be to send a regiment of dragoons to search for a pickpocket in the alleys of St. Giles's. He had to complain also of the manner in which warrants were executed. It was absurd to require warrants to be sent to Dublin to be backed before being executed in an adjoining county, although the magistrate who had signed them held the commission of the peace for that as well as his own county; and he knew an instance in which the two days' delay thus caused had enabled a malefactor to escape. The motive for maintaining the present kind of force was to have a second army in Ireland; but that was not the original object of Parliament, and if they wanted a body as part of the fighting power of the country, they ought to put it under military law. He wanted to see a constabulary in Ireland which would detect crime, and prevent such a disgraceful scene as was asserted to have recently occurred, where a bonfire was lit upon the very spot on 217 which M. Thiebault was murdered, in order to celebrate the acquittal of Halloran. It was due to the peoble of Ireland to say that but for their good conduct there would be ten times as much crime in the country as there was, and that in criminal statistics they would bear comparison with any other population. The Irish constabulary were a fine body of men, but they had been spoilt as constables, and hence the evils of which he complained. He trusted the Government would pay some attention to the complaints of the magistracy of Ireland in this matter.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
suggested two or three trifling alterations in the wording of the Motion, and said that if these were assented to, the Government would not object to the Returns asked for. With regard to the charges which had been previously made against the constabulary, information which he had received went to show that they were unfounded; and the opinion of the Crown lawyers was in favour of the efficiency of the constabulary as police. As to the question raised by the noble Marquess whether it was requisite that the constabulary should communicate with their superior in Dublin before executing in one county a warrant signed by the justices of the peace in another, he had to state that this was done not in accordance with any police regulations, but pursuant to an Act of Parliament, and he was informed that this practice effected a great saving both of time and expense.

THE EARL OF LEITRIM
said, the whole system of government in Ireland was dangerous and unconstitutional to the last degree. The Lord Lieutenant was an autocrat, and the police, his servants, were not governed by the laws of the country, but by what is called a police code, which was a sealed book. If the orders contained in that code were to be acted upon, they ought to be published. As it was, the constabulary were now looked upon as Zouaves rather than as police and it had been shown that they would not act against a foreign enemy, for during the Crimean war not one man of the force, when appealed to, would volunteer for the Guards. In point of fact, the police acted as spies upon the magistrates; their whole demeanour was offensive; and if some change were not made, disastrous consequences would ensue. They would report anything they were 218 desired to report; and, for his own part, he would not attach any credit either to their statements or their figures. The whole system was a system of falsehood and lying. He begged their Lordships' pardon for the expression, but he did feel that it was a gross and abominable system of corruption—he did not wish to mince matters—and he declared, that if the system was not changed, it would not be his fault, for he would do his best to make these official crimes known, for it was a crime to charge all sorts of evil to the people of Ireland.

THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE
hoped the Government would consider what steps could be taken to improve the police system; but he did not concur in the sweeping condemnation to which they had just listened.