PICKPOCKET’S POCKETS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3378, 13 June 1927, Page 7

PICKPOCKET’S POCKETS.

Detectives struck a new type of pickpocket at Randwick races (says a Sydney paper). Two men arrested on a chargi of being suspected persons had pockets in side their coats which were over two feet wide and a foot deep. Elderly, well-dressed, and of dignified appearance, they would be the last per sons the average individual would regard as suspicious. Evidently the pockets of their coats were made for a purpose. They were pockets into which a “roll” or a hand-bag could bo slipped in the fraction of a second, and which could accommodate bulky articles.

One man had £lO 3/6 in his possession when arrested, and the other had £lO 3/5. Though a detective followed them all the afternoon, he did not actually see them steal any money. 1 Detective-sergeant Keogh first saw the men in the ring, his attention being attracted by the way they bustled through the crowds and the manner in which one continually bumped into people. Keogh watched them so intently that he did not see one race. Later in the afternoon Detectives Alford and Royal helped him to keep an eye on the men, who were arrested just before the last race. One of them was very annoyed when spoken to by the police, and said he would have them understand that he and his friend were honest citizens. But his protests did not prevent the two being charged at the Central Police Station.