ARMED THIEVES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 41, 16 August 1929, Page 3

ARMED THIEVES

AUSTRALIAN EPIDEMIC

REMARKABLE CRIME WAVE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) -. . . . SYDNEY, Bth August.

The operations of armed thieves con* tinue to a remarkable degree in Sydney and .Melbourne. These armed robberies began in Melbourne, and. such is the psychology of the criminal that it was not long before they spread: to Sydney. Australia's- criminal history is a record of crime that has come ia waves. The detectives were not surprised at the turn of events, but the public are perturbed at their inability, to make a capture. The detectives say that when they do make a capture this class of crime, -will cease. - Anyhow the public would like to'see at least one capture in order to be satisfied that the position has not got'oufc of hand. Again, the detectives assert that it is not a gang that is operating. They say that this class of criminal prefers to work alone, for the chances of capture are not so great. The public would like to be convinced on'this point also. It is of little' satisfaction to know that the Australian criminal is not of the murderous type known to Chicago. They do not shoot^ to kill, according to the police, but a man who has a revolver pressed into -. his, ribs, or held up before him, will not take any, risks. So it cannot be said that -the police statements on the'situation are very satisfying.' ' -....- Sydney had at least two cases of armed hold-ups during the week-eiid. In one instance three masked men' entered tho homo of a prominent bookmaker, and forced him to hand over all he had in the house—about £72— and they were probably disappointed that his return for the day should have been so small. The police were quickly on the scene,- but they have iibt made any arrest. Then.on. Monday,, night, in, tho same locality, another W was held up at the point of the revolver, and made- to hand over all:ha had. Again tho police made no arrest. SIX IN AN HOTJB, Within an hour on Saturday nighfc a man with a revolver held up six persons at-Mooneo Ponds and Ascot Tale, suburbs of Melbourne. Other cases of street robberies occurred at South Melbourne and in St. "Hilda road, Melbourne. On two occasions the thief fired shots into the air after he had threatened to shoot tho:persons whom he had held up. One woman "with, great courage refused.to,give up- her money and struck the . man with her umbrella, but a man to whom she appealed for help refused to have anything to do with the affair, and slam- - mcd the.door of his house in. her face. Ho'did not want to be thehero of any shooting episode. Every; available member of the Melbourne- police fore* was engaged, on the cases, and in accordance with the policy adopted,.,no information was given to the ;Press. ■ ; The' woman who showed such courage tvas Miss Kate Baymottd, of • Ascot Vale. Kef using point-blank •to give the man her handbag, she' struck him on theheacl. The^ man, pressed ■ a revolver against her chest \ and said: "Hand over the money..' . I want, it without any trouble." Miss Rayinooid noticed that his hand was not steady. "I will not give you any money," she said, and at the same time she brought her umbrella down on;-his head. As lio istaggered back she screamed for help, arid she opened the gate of a house with the intention: of entering. Tha man threatened that if she did not: stop screaming ho would shoot her, but Miss Raymond • disregarded the warning. The man then fired two shots in tho air, over her head, and ran away. Miss Raymond went to the door of-the house, and the occupier said: "I do not want to have anything to do with this case," and slammed the door in her :face. She then rang up the police who werequickly on the scene; But .they all went back to the station, with' the armed man still at. large. : .'.'■■; • Four of the other victims during the night: were women,and !in at least one other case the thief got nothing -for his trouble, but fired a bullet.into the air as soon as he encountered' the slightest opposition.' It; would seem that these Melbourne;robbers aie nob very brave or very clever, and it-is aniazing that they should escape detection for so long, when the. whole force of police is out after them, aided by wireless and by motor-patrons.. It is-a bad advertisement for the Force. ARRESTS IN SYDNEY. Confidence in the police in ; Sydney was restored to some extent '" at ■'■least when arrests followed the latest holdup by armed men'on Tuesday night. However, the success of the police in. this instance was due' to the bravery of the old man who was chosen.for the robbery, and to the bravery of his neighbours, particularly a woman. The two masked bandits displayed amazing audacity when they . entered tho butcher's shop of Michael Briggs, of Redfern. After. Mr. Briggs had completed his various tasks in the shop ho went upstairs to his room, and as he sat down to his tea he heard strange noises in another room.. On making aa investigation, with tho aid of a match, he very soon found himself looking into the barrel of a revolver. "Sorry old man," said one of the intruders, but wp want your money, and we want it quick." With that they; seized their elderly victim, and soon bound him tightly. ; "Now, where is the cash'?' 1 the? asked, when they had made him helpless, and he replied that the onlr money he had was in the cash-box, i« which ho pointed, so obligingly. Tfie men helped themselves to tho silver* but they were far from' satisfied, an* demanded to know where the note* were. They knew that the man had not banked that day, because it tad been a bank holiday, but they did nofe know that he bad on his person more than £100 in notes which he-had hidden away as soon as he was aware that there were strangers in the house. ' At.this stage Mrs. Jackson,.who lives next door, heard the angry, voices, and as she knew that Briggs lived by. lumselr, sho commenced to make inves« tigations. She slowly raised a blind and peered into the premises that adjoined hers. She at once realised wha* was happening. Of course, ' she was able to inform tho police at once, and the rapidity with which '-the police reached the-scene was one of the features of the case. Very soon- the whole neighbourhood was aroused, and it was not long before the bandits realised aHi ,ir Presence tad been discovered. Although the men made their escape from tho shop, it was not long before they were arrested after two exciting"' encounters ,with the police. Both me"n are labourers—meaning that they do nothing m particular, for most of the idlers who are arrested call themselves labourers—and they are described by the police as birds of passage. ■ [A cable message from Sydney pub* hshed on Tuesday stated that:the police on Monday effected five arrests in continuance of! their war against the crime wave. Property was recovered valued at £2000, including sijf motor-cars, some of them stripped tt» the chassis.' Over thirty robberies have been accounted for, and during th% past fortnight the detectives hav# cleared up fifty-eight- robberies inyolv. ing property: worth many thousand* T