POSE AS DETECTIVES

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 January 1934, Page 10

POSE AS DETECTIVES

THIEVES’ SCHEME SUCCEEDS

LONDON, November 25.

Two extraordinary stories of men impersonating officers of the Criminal Investigation Department in London were reported to Scotland Yard yesterday, one of them concerning an exceptionally cool safe robbery at Willesden* Green.

Yesterday afternoon a dark saloon car drew up at the house of Mr. Abraham Steinberg, of Lydford-road. Willesden Green. Three men, one of them wearing a chauffeur’s peak cap, got out of the car and walked to the front door. One of them told the maids that they were detective officers, and were sorry to say that Mr. Steinberg had been taken into custody. They had instructions from their senior officer to take the safe from the house. The maids let the men into ,the house. They pointed to where the safe was kept and the men carried it to the waiting car, apologising for the trouble they were causing. In the safe was property worth £BOO, mainly jewellery, but also £lBO in cash and a number of private documents and memoranda. Mr. and Mrs Steinberg had been out on business throughout the afternoon, and when Mr. Steinberg heard of the robbery he at once informed the police. The maids were able to give the police a rough description of the three men and said that they can identify at least one. All of them were smartly dressed. Mrs Steinberg said she had learned that two of the men were of ordinary build and one of rather stout appearance. “They produced a document and showed it to the maids, and it stated that they were police officers.”

The second robbery, at Bromley, is one of many of a similar character which have been carried out in various- parts of London recently. A man, describing himself as a detective employed by the Home Office, “down from the North.” went to the house of Mrs Ridgeway, at Ford-aven-ue, South Bromley, to book a room.

He gave a cheque for £3 signed in the name of “Bruce” and was shown up to a room.

Some time later he left the house, and Mrs Ridgeway then discovered the robbery of jewellery and 10/- in cash from her bedroom. The man was about 33 years of age, sft 6in in height, of slight build, pale complexion, ginger hair, blue watery eyes, and was wearing gold-rimmed spectacles. He was smartly dressed and well spoken with a slightly Northern accent. He was wearing a navyblue suit, dark overcoat, brown trilby hat and black shoes.