CRIMINALS TAKE NOTICE!

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 115, 18 May 1927, Page 9

CRIMINALS TAKE NOTICE!

INCREASE IN DETECTIVE STAFF.

FIVE MORE FOR AUCKLAND.

With the criminals of Auckland, shortly it will be a case of "The D's are coming," and not big braw Scotsmen of the Campbell clan. As stated in our issue of yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. W. B. Mcllveney, has at last recognised that Chief Detective Cumming's staff *of detectives requires strengthening, for ha has transferred to the local detective office five men from Southern stations for duty in the Queen City. They will assist the local staff in the investigation of crime here, particularly in connection with the wave of burglary and theft which has swept the city and suburbs recently. The detectives who have been transferred here are Detective Sergeant J. Bickerclike and Detective A. Allan, of Christchurch, Detectives J. Hunt and F. Sinclair of Wellington and Dotective W. Roycroft, of Duncdin. Of the quintet, probably the best known is Mr. Bickerdike, who has been stationed at Lyttolton and Christchurch for many -years. The Auckland detective office has been understaffed for some time, and such good men as Mr. R. Ward, who is now chief detective at Wellington, Detective Meiklejohn, now at New Plymouth and Detective Barling, sent to Palmereton North, have not yet been replaced. Consequently the plain clothes branch at Auckland headquarters has been kept particularly busy this last few months. Despite the shortness of staff and extra crime that has prevailed excellent work has been done. At present the following comprise the detective staff:—Chief Detective, Mr. J. Cummings; Senior Detective A. Hammond, Detective Sergeants Kelly, Issell (Newton) and O'Brien; Detectives Robertson, Knight, White, O'Sullivan, Moon, Nalder and McHugh (Queen's wharf station). The acting deteotives are McWhirter and Craigie, while the following are plain clothes constables attached to the detective staff:-~-Power, Packman, Kelly, Tucker, Davis, Stevenson and Carroll. The newly appointed detectives from the South are all married men, and will arrive in Auckland to commence their duties as soon as possible.