§ Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.
§ Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Jersey.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ [THE EARL OF KINTORE in the Chair.]
§ Clauses 1 and 2 agreed to.
§ Clause 3:
§ Penalty on persons causing disaffection, etc.
§ 3. If any person causes, or attempts to cause, or does any act calculated to cause disaffection amongst the members of any police force, or induces, or attempts to induce, or does any act calculated to induce any member of a police force to withhold his services or to commit breaches of discipline, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable on conviction on indictment 589 imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding two years, or on summary conviction, to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding three months, or to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or to both such imprisonment and fine, and in either case if a member of a police force shall forfeit all pension rights and be disqualified for being a member of any police force.
§ THE EARL OF JERSEY moved to add at the end of the Clause the following proviso: "Provided that where the person convicted of any such offence was a member of a police force and was not sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine the police authority may, if they think fit, pay to him the whole or any part of the rateable deductions which may have been made from his pay."
§ The noble Earl said: This Amendment is proposed in accordance with a proviso made by the Home Secretary on the Report stage of the Bill in the House of Commons that he would consider how far it is possible to modify the penalty to be imposed on a member of a police force who is convicted of an offence under the section which is not of the gravest kind. A police authority deducts a sum not exceeding 2½ per cent. from the pay of every constable as a contribution towards the pension fund; and it is proposed that where a man is convicted under the section and is sentenced to a less punishment than imprisonment, the police authority may return to him these "rateable deductions," or part of them. This corresponds with Section 21 of the Police Act, 1890.
§
Amendment moved—
Insert the said new proviso.—(The Earl of Jersey.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 3, as amended agreed to.
§ Clause 4:
§ Drafting Amendments agreed to.
§ Clause 4, as amended, agreed to.
§ Clauses 5 and 6 agreed to.
§ Clause 7:
§ Abolition of limits on police rates.
§ 7. So much of section twenty-three of the Metropolitan Police Act, 1829, as amended by any subsequent enactment, us limits the annual sum to be provided for the purposes of the Metropolitan Police, and so much of section one hundred and ninety-seven of the Municipal 590 Corporations Act, 1882, as limits the amount of the watch rate, and so much of any local Act as limits any rate which may be raised for the purposes of the police, shall cease to have effect.
§
Amendment moved—
Clause 7, page 3, line 19, leave out ("local Act") and insert ("other Act, whether public, general, or local").—(The Earl of Jersey.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 7, as amended, agreed to.
§ Clauses 8 to 10 agreed to.
§
THE EARL OF JERSEY moved to insert the following new Clause—
11. An officer of the Metropolitan Police Force appointed by the Secretary of State to act as Deputy Assistant Commissioner shall, for the purpose of receiving declarations of men appointed to act as constables and counter-signing the drafts and orders for money drawn on the Bank of England by the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District, have all such powers as are exercisable by an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
§ The noble Earl said: Under the Metropolitan Police Act, 1829, Section 4, it is part of the duty of the Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner to swear in constables on appointment, and under Section 10 he has to countersign drafts or orders drawn by the Receiver on his account at the Bank of England for the payment of the salaries and other expenses of the Police Force. It has been found that these duties make undue demands on the time of the Assistant Commissioners, which is now fully occupied with more important work, and it is desirable that the Deputy Assistant Commissioner should be empowered to relieve them of this work.
§
Amendment moved—
After Clause 10, insert the said new clause.—(The Earl of Jersey.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Remaining clauses agreed to.
§ Schedules agreed to.
§ House resumed.
§ House adjourned at twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock until three o'clock to-morrow.