MELBOURNE PICKPOCKETS

Evening Star, Issue 17964, 10 May 1922, Page 6

MELBOURNE PICKPOCKETS

A NEW GANG. THIEVES’ ARGOT. “Get any ‘ pognes ’ to-day?" is <( the usual greeting of one pickpocket or dip and hook,” as he calls himself—to another. If he has had a successful day (says the Melbourne ‘ Age ’) the other “ dip would reply in these terms: “1 got presents,’ a ‘ pogue,’ a ‘ red block,’ two ‘white blocks.’ a ‘elang, a ‘block and tackle,’ and two ‘props.’” Translated, this means: ”1 obtained two sums of money from men's hip pockets, a wallet containing a considerable sum of mono}, a gold watch, two silver watches, a watch chain, and watch and chain, and two scarf pins.” Sc easy is it to steal from a' man s hip pocket that a pickpocket calls anything he finds there a “ present. A new gang of pickpockets has made its appearance in Melbourne, and ; is reaping a rich harvest by operating on crowded trarncars in ISwanstou street. During the last fortnight gold' watches, valued in the aggregate at several hundred' pounds, have been stolen, amli detectives are endeavoring to trace the pickpockets concerned. Asked the other day what was the safest pocket in which to "carry valuables, a detective said; “No pocket is safe, but the safest arc tho fob pocket and the pocket inside the waistcoal. A w a toll and chain is at no time safe, and the best advice to people is to hold their valuables when they are in a crowd, and not to exhibit a wallet or a roll of notes at any time.” Another safeguard is to place a. cloec-litling, thick I'ubber ring over the winding shaft of a watch. U is difficult, to pull a watch so fitted out of tho pocket. Only in rare cases does a pickpocket, i operate by himself. Generally be is ‘as- 1 .fisted by' two or three men, known as j “ pushers-np ”or “ long stalls. Iho gang j that is operating on trarncars lakes up a j position in Swanrtoii street during busy | periods, and watches those persons who 1 hoard crowded trarncars. V hen they ta-e a ; man with a valuable watch chain or a j bulging wallet, the “clip” follows him | closely, and boards tire tram with him. ! As tho trallicar moves on the “pushers-; up” rush on the car and bump in to the J “ dip,” so that he is thrown against ihe I victim, in the jostling that results it is i easy for an expert to rifle hi? victim’s j pockets or take his jewellery. As soon as | he has obtained everything the “dip”! passes it to one of the “ pushers-up,” so j that if accused and 1 searched nothing will j be found in his possession. A. pickpocket \ seldom steals a watch and chain, for it j is easier to remove the watch from the chain than to take the chain out of the waistcoat. j Another method of robbing tram pas- ' sengers is for the “dip” to read a paper on tho platform of a crowded tramcar, and, holding the paper in his left hand, to conceal his movements while he rolls the victim with his right, hand. The most general method is to cany an overcoat on the left arm, and conceal (ho move- I merits of the right hand with tho coat. I Pickpockets do not, as is generally sup- I posed, place their hands in a man’s pocket.. They seize the lining of the pocket with the first and second fingers, pull the lining out, and with it the money or valuables. The favorite hunting grounds of pickpockets are on trarncars. in queues on railway stations, pr at any ticket windows. Here they have the additional advantage of seeing where the victims place their money after they have bought, their tickets. On no account, should money be displayed' at those plates, hut the exact amount to be paid should be carried ready before entering the queue.