HOME OF THE C.I.D.

Evening Star, Issue 23143, 17 December 1938, Page 24

HOME OF THE C.I.D.

CHAPLAIN'S VISIT TO SCOTLAND YARD SIDE LIGHTS ON ENGLISH PRISON SYSTEM [Written by the Rev. G. E. Moukton, Chaplain, Mount Eden Prison.] The criminal records office of Scotland Yard, known for short the G.R.0., is a national registry of crime and a ‘ Who’s Who ’ of its perpetrator's. Rost countries have some system or systems of criminal records. At Scotland Yard a thoroughly comprehensive and effective system dates from the establishment of the central fingerprint bureau under Sir Edward Henry in 1901. From day to day crime is committed in the great metropolis of Condon.

The place known as Scotland Yard is situated in Whitehall near the Cenotaph, with a wonderful system of communication with the flying squadron to investigate a burglary or a murder case. Perhaps there is a very slight clue, as finger-prints on a window or foot prints. A hundred and one clues are found. From some slight clue, perhaps in an hour or so Scotland Yard will hound down its man. How is it accomplished? Scotland Yard is linked up with the line body of the metropolitan _ police system in England, as an institution for checking the growth of crime and bringing the perpetrator to justice. The Police Force in England came into its own in England in 1829 with the first thousand of Sir Robert Peel’s new police, who began their patrol on an evening in September of that year. The common crowd at once began finding nicknames, as “ blue army,” “ blue devils,” “Peelers,” “raw lobster gang,” “ Bobby,” “ copper.” At the head of the force was placed a commissioner of police, whose duty to-day is described as having to hold the scales between the police and the public, a task requiring exceptional qualifications of tact and discretion and administrative ability. ' ONCE SITE OF PALACE. Though commonly used as signifying the Detective Force (the criminal investigation department), Scotland Yard is the name of the headquarters of the metropolitan police. The place is called Scotland Yard because it was once the site of a palace for the reception of the Kings and Queens of Scotland when they visited the English Court. The place was eventually absorbed into the palace of Whitehall, and is now known as Scotland Yard even on official documents. It was my privilege to pay a visit to Scotland Yard by permission of the secretary of the Home Office through the good offices of Mr W. J. Jordan. High Commissioner for New Zealand in London. I arrived at Scotland Yard about 1.50 from "Whitehall and presented my credentials. After signing the declaration the officer gave me a passport of admission, which I presented to Chiefdetective Thompson, who gave mo a cordial welcome. MUSEUM. My first visit was to the museum of exhibits. What wonderful ingenuity was to be seen! I observed what appeared to be a large steel safe, and asked the officer, “What happened to this safe?’ He advised me to examine it, and much to my astonishment it was made of three-ply wood and painted, but at a short distance looked like the real thing. A post office had been broken into by expert safe crackers, and this safe had stood where the police could see it at night during their patrol. It bad been removed and the dummy one put in its place, and the safe crackers had used explosives and extracted the contents, well over £2,000. For the time the police did not detect that a burglary had taken place. The perpetrators were brought to justice by the experts of the finger-print department. A glass case contained a large number of counterfeit coins, sovereigns. Bank of England notes, and forged signatures on cheques. The silver coins, especially the halfcrowns, were excellent counterfeits, some of them containing more silver than the coin of the realm.

I inspected the sovereigns, and, after a scrutiny. I said to the guide: “ These appear to.be the real thing.” In answer to my further inquiry he said: “ Examine the edge or milling of the sovereigns.” With the aid of my glasses 1 detected that the coins had been cut and the inside of the gold gouged out and filled with base metal—the work of experts—during the circulation of sovereigns when we were on the gold standard. The Bank of England notes were the work of an expert forger, being done with a pen. I compared one with a note in my possession. It was an excellent imitation of the notes issued by the Bank of England. The original cheques with the signatures and the forgeries were difficult to distinguish ; but the experts of the bank, accustomed to dealing with signatures, and the Scotland Yard special branch, in dealing with forgeries give every evidence of the good work accomplished in the detection of crime. Many house-breaking implements, jemmies and such-like, provided interesting exhibits. Window-smashing implements, or gadgets for cutting the steel bars on jewellers’ windows, proved interesting. There were many evidences of the white slave traffic,’ hangmen’s ropes, and all kinds of devices used_ by burglars in the furtherance of getting rich at the expense of the public. RECORDS OFFICE. The_ criminal recording office is the most important branch of the service. Records are kept by means of a card index system consisting of photographs and finger-prints. The number of sets of finger-prints of persons awaiting trial averages about 35,000 per year; and in about 45 per cent, of the cases the person has been identified as an old offender. The London Metropolitan Police Force is the envy of the world. The

men are walking encyclopedias in their knowledge of London. No country in the world can claim a more efficient national safety organisation than the staff of the detectives of Scotland Yard. Crimes, which went unsolved. 50 years ago, are now brought to light by the means of finger-print evidence. The main purpose of criminal records is to identify old offenders, that is to say, to secure that, it Bill Sikes commits a fresh crime or turns up in a new place as John Jones, he shall be recognised or traced as Bill Sikes.

Originally, the identification parade depended almost entirely on actual personal recognition or recollection by police officers or other persons. Other systems for the identification of the criminal had been tried; but the fingerprint system was meanwhile being experimented with and was destined quickly to supersede all other tried methods.

Sir Francis Golton, founder of the science of eugenics, who had studied finger-prints mainly from the viewpoints of heredity and anthropology, gave evidence as to this utility for purposes of criminal identification before the Home Office Committee of 1894, and they were brought into tentative use at Scotland Yard from 1895 onwards. Scotland Yard is the central finger-print bureau for Great Britain, and during the last 25 years the system has developed as the greatest and surest method for the detection of crime.

The British detective and police systems stand on a rock of freedom j and, as I took my departure after enjoying a snack in the office of the chief detective, we talked about my observations, and he said that the onlooker sees most of the game. Right throughout London in the metropolitan areas, and as far away as Orpington in Kent, telephone boxes are connected direct to Scotland Yard, and a St. John ambulance box stands alongside. The Flying Squadron, equipped _ with wireless receiving acts, helps in no small measure to combat the criminal in his desire for ill-gotten gains. PRISON VISITS. What is the prison policy in England? In England the law puts reformation before in dealing with prisoners. Several visits were paid to Wormwood Scrubs, which contains about 1,000 prisoners, and Maidstone Prison with 250 star convict prisoners. Entering the precincts I found the warders unarmed (no guns) and witnessed the prisoners tending the beautiful flower beds and lawns which surround the buildings. All prisoners wore collars and ties and warm clothing ; and much is done to prevent them from losing their self-respect. Classification is carried out, so that first offenders are not in close contact with those considered to be hardened criminals. The honour system was an experiment which gave every indication of excellent results, a patrol leader (with a distinguishing red band on his arm) being responsible for the behaviour of those in his section. In the wings recreation rooms and vases of flowers gave a pleasant touch, and must appeal to the better side of the men.

A well-balanced diet, prepared in an np-to-date kitchen, has proved beneficial to the health of prisoners. Visiting the hospital ward I founds nurses and a doctor (who is a practical psychologist) on the staff of the prison. A system of vocational guidance prevailed, and a general attempt was being made to fit men to rehabilitate themselves in the community when they gained their release. There was a large printing establishment in the Maidstone Prison conducted by convicts, all of whom were interested in their occupation, and who produced work of a very high order, which included bookbinding, ledgers with special bindings and rulings, and general printing. Many had not handled typo or modern machinery._ The social hall in each institution was well used for concerts, lectures, and debates, which the prisoners entered into with keenness. _ A weekly paper is published containing news of topical interest (some of the articles are supplied by prisoners), and cross-word puzzles were much in evidence. The prison possesses a good library, and the men are given every facility for reading good, wholesome literature. , The warders were a good type, and it was recognised that a good staff was even more important than good buildings. The necessary qualifications were a “ personality ” test, an interview with one of the Prison Commissioners, a stiff medical examination, and an education test. . At Wakefield the Imperial College aimed at turning out warders especially qualified to reform. Warders wore given an opportunity to take a nine months’ course there. The prison chapels were like a beautiful parish church and Wormwood Scrubs has an excellent electrically - worked pipe organ. Artistic paintings of the apostles adorn the sanctuary (the work of prisoners), and the furnishings I found' to be of exquisite design.