BURGLARS SCARE TOWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3463, 31 March 1930, Page 2

BURGLARS SCARE TOWN.

PEOPLE FEAR TO LEAVE HOME

Probably no town in Britain is so seared ol burglars as Blackpool. Apparently the exploits ot the “notorious Mr Pluininerton” began it. Since then a steady stream ot reports of robberies, many of them of an audacious character, has been flowing into the police oflice. Rather than run the risk of having their houses robbed some people have remained indoors for weeks, aiid some remarkable stories are told of the devices adopted by householders and shopkeepers to outwit the attentions of unwelcome visitors.

Generally speaking the “booty” from the series of, burglaries and robberies has not been particularly rich, and for the most part the depredations have been found to he due to juveniles and irresponsible young men. Nevertheless the wanton damage done and inconvenience caused by the offences have made many residents distinctly “nervy” because of the ingenuity and daring of the perpetrators. The epidemic has resulted in a’run on electrical and ether devices to safeguard premises; breeders are finding less difficulty in disposing of house dogs, and some shopkeepers'have been doing a big trade in the sale of automatic pistols which lire blank cartridges and create a loud report. The Chief Constable, Mr H. E. Devham, stated lately that the so-called epidemic was largely due to pampered juveniles who were prompted by “sheer devilment.” Parents were not wholly to blame, for he thought the courts were dealing rather too leniently with the delinquents when they were caught. Mr Derham described the incident of a lad, who had been charged with a robbery, being met by his friends on leaving the court with the greeting: “How have you got on?” The lad replied: “Oh, I have got off,” and his smiles showed with what little gravity he regarded the offence. “As'a matter of fact,” continued Mr Derham. “the lad was hqund over after an eloquent plea for leniency based on the fact that he had not been in serious trouble before. In the bad old days, that lad would have been made to feel the seriousness of his offence. The old adage of ‘spare, the rod and spoil the child’ was never more applicable than to-day.” Mr Derham added that apart from the pranks and exploits of bad hoys there was little or no serious crime m Blackpool.