SCOTLAND YARD

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 November 1928, Page 2

SCOTLAND YARD

HOW IT OBSERVES.

A noted burglar was recently caught in the Midlands purely from observation of his habits. Far too clever to leave a tell-tale fingerprint behind, the man was caught on the afternoon following the robbery (states a writer in the “Daily Mail”). It has been his habit after “cracking a crib” to go to any hotel in a nearby town and ask for a room, explaining that he had travelled all night and wanted to sleep until late in the afternoon.

From observation of his habits Scotland Yard knew this, an< inquiries among hotelkeepers in. towns near the scene of the robbery soon discovered the afternoon sleeper.To the detective whose' mind through long association with criminals has become a veritable picture gallery, and whose faculty for memorising faces has become so keenly developed, such tasks present but little difficulty. Housed at Scotland Yard is a Criminal Record ’Office containing nearly 200,000 portraits of criminals. A good proportion of these men are seiwing time, others have reformed and are now good citizens, while many others have gone abroad. All these portraits are classified with, the record Of the particular type of crime • and fall iiito different categories. Although there may be several persons wanted for similar offences, the trained mind of the detective, after a few minutes’ study of the portraits, retains a complete picture of the profile and fullfaced appearance of the fugitive. Acute observation can only come from a mind developed and trained in the constant registering of facts and forms.

Observation has brought many criminals to justice. The annals of criminology teem with instances. Not long ago Stewart, sentenced to death for the Bayswater murder, was arrested by a detective whose p'oWers of observation enabled him to pick his man out of thousands on the front at Southend.

Outside the police force, Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the eminent pathologist, is an outstanding example of the trained, observant analytical mind. He is considered by the authorities to be a prince of observers. At all times of the day and night a detective’s powers of observation' may be put to the test. A few ilionths ago a Scotland Yard detective was told that a man whom he had never seen was in the stalls of a certain theatre and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

A few second’s study of his photograph at the “Yard” sufficed. In the half light of the auditorium, the officer standing by an exit door, was able to pick out his man and make an arrest. There was nothing distiti'ctive about the man’s face, and to' an untrained mind this task would- have’ been impossible.