2932
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 115

555. All blankets in use in a lock-up where prisoners are regularly confined must be washed at least once a month; but should any blankets be used by a dirty-looking prisoner, or one suspected of having vermin on him, they must be washed without delay. So also must blankets that are found wet or soiled after being in use in a cell overnight.

556. The cells, yards, urinals, closets, and lavatories must be kept as clean as possible, and disinfectants must be frequently used in them. Any obscene, indecent, or profane writing, drawing, or representation found on the walls, doors, &c., must be promptly and effectively obliterated.

557. Officers in charge of districts shall see that proper arrangements are made for the supply of meals to prisoners confined in lock-ups.

558. A prisoner who is confined at the usual meal-hour shall be supplied with a meal if he is in a fit state to partake of it.

559. The scale of rations to be supplied to prisoners confined in a lock-up, and the amount to be charged therefor, shall be laid down by circular from time to time as required.

A return of all rations issued shall be made out monthly (or quarterly at small stations), and sent in with voucher for payment. Each meal must be shown as one-third of a ration.

560. Prisoners who have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment or who have been remanded or committed for trial may, where the period of imprisonment, remand, or committal for trial does not exceed seven days, be detained at the police-station at places where there is no prison or police-gaol and there is no accommodation for them at the police-station. (See section 17, Statute Law Amendment Act, 1917.)

The cost of rations supplied to such prisoners from the time of sentence, remand, or committal, as the case may be, until the prisoner is removed from the police-station will be chargeable against the Prisons Department.

561. In places where two or more watchhouse-keepers are employed, each one will be held responsible for the proper carrying-out of the duties of his office during the time he is on duty.

562. On taking over charge of a watchhouse the watchhouse-keeper must see that all prisoners are safe and well, and that the cells are in good order and secure. He must also see that their property is correct.

After taking over the watchhouse he shall make an entry in the visiting-book setting forth the time taken over, the number of prisoners, male and female, and their condition.

The watchhouse-keeper handing over shall draw the attention of the officer relieving him to the necessity, if any, for special supervision over any of the prisoners, or to any other matter that should be brought under his notice.

563. Watchhouse-keepers will be held responsible that all charges made by Constables are properly formulated. The watchhouse-keeper should obtain the particulars from the Constables and frame the charges for them.

564. Where a person is brought to the watchhouse, and the watchhouse-keeper is not satisfied that an offence has been committed for which the person should be detained, he must not lock him up without the authority of the officer in charge of the station.

If any person so brought to the station is liberated, a report shall be immediately made by the watchhouse-keeper and by the Constable who brought the person to the station.

565. Watchhouse-keepers will be held responsible for the entries made in the books under their charge, which must be accurate and neatly made.

They shall enter the result of each charge in the Charge-book, in the column for that purpose, not only of prisoners summarily convicted, but of those committed for trial or sentence.

Where prisoners have been previously convicted they shall attach a list of previous convictions to the charge-sheet for the information of the prosecuting officer.

566. Where a prisoner is arrested for drunkenness and denies that he is drunk, immediate steps should be taken to have the prisoner examined by competent officers, so as to corroborate or otherwise the evidence of the arresting Constable. If the prisoner demands to be examined by a medical practitioner, and has the money to pay for such examination, his request must be at once complied with, but care must be taken that there is no delay in obtaining the medical practitioner’s attendance, or that, if there is any delay, the time of his visit must be noted, so that it can be given in evidence.

567. Where a prisoner is unconscious, whether the unconsciousness is caused by liquor, illness, or other causes, a medical practitioner must be at once called in.

568. Where it is noticed that a prisoner is suffering from any injury or illness apparently necessitating the attention of a medical practitioner, steps should be immediately taken to send for one.

569. Where a prisoner says he is ill and wants a medical practitioner, or whether ill or not if he has the means to pay for one, his request must be complied with.

570. Where a prisoner has no means, and the watchhouse-keeper is satisfied that there is nothing wrong with him, he should not send for a medical practitioner without the sanction of the officer in charge of the station; but if he has any doubt it is better that a medical practitioner should be sent for.

571. Where a prisoner is remanded on a charge of helpless drunkenness the cost of maintenance should be applied for when he is dealt with.

572. When a prisoner is committed for trial or for sentence to the Supreme Court a correct list of his convictions and a report giving as complete an account as possible of his character, antecedents, and habits should be furnished direct to the Registrar of the Supreme Court where the trial is to be held or sentence passed.

This should be attended to as soon as possible after the committal.

573. Promptly after the committal of a prisoner for trial the Crown Prosecutor should be notified and requested to arrange for an appointment with the Police officers concerned in preparing the case, who, generally speaking, would be the officer who conducted the case in the lower Court and the officer who made the arrest and collected the evidence, in order to study the depositions and consider the sufficiency of the evidence already placed thereon. The Police file of reports relating to the case should also be handed to the Crown Prosecutor for perusal, unless the officer in charge of the district considers there is a valid objection thereto in any particular case.

Any instructions given by the Crown Solicitor for further inquiry should be carefully and promptly attended to, in order that any material evidence may be found and the attendance of any witnesses discovered may be secured in good time.