HC Deb 24 October 1944 vol 404 cc40-1W
Mr. Sorensen

asked the Secretary of State whether he can now state the result of his consideration of the need of reducing the number of offences committed by Colonial troops for which corporal punishment can be administered; and whether he is now prepared to abolish this form of punishment as is the case with white troops.

Sir J. Grigg

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies and I have now obtained the views of the Resident Minister in West Africa and of the East African Governors' Conference on the question of corporal punishment for African troops. In each case the views expressed have been arrived at after full consultation with all the civil Governors and the Military Commanders concerned. The main question at issue is whether corporal punishment is, in fact, a deterrent to the commission of the crime for which it is inflicted, of such value that its abolition would seriously impair military discipline. It is the deterrent effect which matters, because the actual infliction of corporal punishment has already been reduced to a very small proportion. In East Africa the figure is .08 per cent. or 1 in 1,250 per annum, and in West Africa the corresponding figure is .05 per cent, or 1 in 2,000 per annum. Corporal punishment, moreover, can only be awarded by courts-martial. It is clear then, that it is not awarded capriciously or, as I think the hon. Member called it, sadistically, and it is also clear that it is only rarely awarded.

It must be borne in mind that African troops are drawn from a civil population which is subject to corporal punishment for a wider range of crimes than applies in this country. Moreover, as a result of the rapid expansion of these Forces, the maintenance of discipline in the new Armies recruited in East and West Africa presents a special problem. It is important to take no step which would impair the efficiency of our African troops at this stage of the war, and for this reason we have come to the conclusion that it would be unwise to abolish corporal punishment at this juncture.