WAVES OF CRIME IN AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3113, 18 June 1917, Page 7

WAVES OF CRIME IN AUSTRALIA

POUCB SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT,

The recent, wa.w of crime in rho Melbourne metropolitan area has shown thai. Inn police, hn.vo failnd lo deal effectively with the situation (snj-fi Ihe "Argus"). A report in support of Hie efforts of Uio itelectives hafi been submitted by Superintendent Davidson, of the criminal investigation branch, to the Chief Secretary (Mr. Ml.eod). Tho report' says: "Periodical nutbiirste of serious crime do occur, and though the poliro may nol. immediately arrest l.he perpetrators, it is a fart that thoy Wo nrrest them in 'the. majority of instance?, and stop such. In the. ordinary oases of crime, a largo percentage has been undeleted. That has been tho experience here, and, I have no doubts, is tb« same in any other country. There aro no figures available for purposes of comparison with tho other States of Australia «a to undetected crime." In a reference- lo newspaper criticism, Superintendent. Davidson status: "It may be. considered a fairly debatable question whether in these 'lays Of picture shows, with their often sebss.tional and favourable- treatment of crime nßCff criminals, undue prominence shouM bo allotted in tho public Press to 'crime waves,' and, as a corollary, tho belittlement of tho police, which, needless lo add, must always appeal to tho minds of prospective law-breakers, especially tho young: of both, sexes. In. fact, J consider it may fairly hn assorted that, undue press prominonco <n crimee committed may easily result jio an incitornflnfc to further- and increased lß.w-brea!iui(r oomiss within the scope of felony. When it ie bo confidently asserted th* police uro inept and incapable of tracking down criminals, tho natural assiiroption. surejy roust bo that, law-breakers urn lurcu on and enrouragod in their nefarious calling." Figures for tho period from .liiiiiinry to April of tho past, three jcirs, it is statort, show that while thoro has been a decrease, of lato in th« number of Crimea reported, tbero has boon an incivßgD in tho number of arrests. The niinum tliaj: haw l*en rifo in Melbourne, during tho past two months are shopbreaking and burglary. Itocont arrests ai-e mentioned iii 'the roferenco to shopbreaking. In Iho case of burglary the report stares: "No recont; arrest has beßn. made. This class of crimo is tho ha.rde6t to dotoct. Tho burglar generally work* alonu, and at dcod of night. Even when disturbed, tho ocoupants of thn bouso fail to son him, though thoy may hear his hurried departure, and, in consecj.ionw, nn information ns io his description ie n\ailalle. A number of cases of burglary can be put down 1o a soxual lunatic, who invades premised sometimes moicsts (jlcoping- women, but rarely steals. In tho -past four months there have been las cases of shop-breaking-,, of which 125 Tuvo been undetected, and 25 cases of burglary, of which 22 have bteti undetected. Tn connection with tho Criminal Investigation Branch, !>53 crresta were, made in 1916, and for four months of 1017 tho number was 2GI, a jmrtion of tho uumbor arrested wnfi for offencoß ia other Slates."