CROOKS WHO HAVE MADE GOOD

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 132, 30 November 1935, Page 27

CROOKS WHO HAVE MADE GOOD

At the head of a big business concern in the West End of London today is a man who was formerly a convicted burglar. And at the head of a large city firm is another man who served a sentence for forgery. These amazing facts were revealed by Chief Inspector Ralph Rowe, who has just retired after being in charge of the criminal record office at Scotland Yard for 34 years, says the "Daily Express."

And, somewhat reluctantly, the inspector admitted that it was he who had given both men their first real chance by finding them jobs. Inspector Kowe only mentioned these cases to prove his claim that any exconvict who pleads as an excuse that he has been "hounded by the police" is telling a lie.

"When I first went to the records office," he said, "I made an arrangement with the Church Army and

with the Salvation Army, and they have placed hundreds of ex-convicts in jobs. Most of them have made good, too.

"In all my experience," Inspector Rowe went on, "I have never known the police to interfere with any man who was making a genuine effort to go straight. Very often, as a matter of fact, the police are the only real friends, an ex-convict has. Usually when an ex-criminal claims that he has been 'hounded' out of a job, it is found that his past has been revealed to his employer by a former associate."

Some idea of how Scotland Yard has been organised to wage war on crime can be gained from the fact that Inspector Rowe had charge of 600,000 records of known criminals.

Within a few minutes the complete description, photograph, and fingerprints of a "wanfed" crook can be located.