THE FLYING SQUAD

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 May 1934, Page 4

THE FLYING SQUAD

SILENT WAR IS WAGED

If you have ever been held up in the £ middle of the night by Scotland I Yard’s Flyng Squad, you will realise £ the unpretentious but relentless way ri in which they carry on their war || against the criminal (wrote a. London << "Daily Telegraph” contributor). I L was driving my car in West London early the other morning when 1 <* saw in the driving mirror the lights |l of a car rapidly overhauling me. 1 £ signalled the driver through, and was >1 a little surprised when I found that | the car was running parallel with me. Then, slowly but surely, 1 found f) myself being forced into the guttei--1 turned to protest, and saw a man in the other car motioning me to stop. l< We were still moving when three |J men leapt, from the car. Two ol them << came to the driving window, the third I was at the passenger’s door, while I, the driver had manoeuvred his car k across my bonnet. I& I was neatly trapped, helpless to £

move. The strangers were ordinarily dressed; one wore a cap, another was hatless. I felt sure I was the victim of a bandit hold-up. , “We arc police officers,” said one ol the men. . Playing for time to think, I requested to see their warrant cards, and was much relieved when they were readily produced. One of the men was shining his torch on the road fund licence to examine it, another was questioning me as to the ownership of the car. Then, when they had satisfied themselves that I was just a. harmless motorist, the leader explained; “We are looking for a green sports car that, .has been stolen. I am sorry if we have troubled you. but your car closely answers its description.” With a polite "Good morning, sir,” the men drove off on their search.

UNOBTRUSIVE AND THOROUGH. Jt was just an everyday incident in the lives of those men of the Flying Squad. They go about their work , quietly lint thoroughly. There is none I of the glamour of American police methods, no fanfare of howling I sirens, no commotion, no excitement. I Few people can claim to have re- ■ cognised a squad car, yet everyday j there are about fifty cruising through . the streets of London. ! From headquarters about half a dozen cars are operated at a time, j Three shifts cover the whole day and night. Generally speaking, each car is despatched to an area to watch and ~ wait, but, when a crime has been committed or a gang of crooks have been particularly active n a certain type of < offence, the men are given more or 1 less a free hand. [ If you could take a glimpse at one < of these Flying Squad cars you would find nothing in its outward appear- |l tince to distinguish it from the usual 5 type of high-powered sports saloon. i ’lt is manned by a crew of four. An 4 inspector or sergeant, the captain of 2 the party, sits beside the driver. In | the off-side rear seat is a man wear r S ing head-phones —the wireless opera- ij tor—and a detective constable is be- H side him. $

In front of the chief can be seen a dashboard light illuminating a clip of paper containing important information —the numbers of stolen motor cars,- descriptions and photographs of men wanted, and other references. There are, besides, a number of cars in each of the police divisions. Some of them are the famous Q cars and vans—vehicles capable of high speeds, whch from time to time are altered in appearance. At times they are augmented by cars normally used by superintendents and chief inspectors.

No one suspects one of the innocentlooking Q vans of being anything to do with the police, yet they can be driven at over eighty miles an hour. A frame aerial is housed in the roof, and in- ( side a crew of up to four, in addition , to the two men at the front, sit on small swivel seats. Out of black glass J windows they can see all that is hap- t pening in the streets, but their faces cannot be seen. Machine-guns and tear-gas bombs I do not find their way into the equip- | ment of the London policeman. Ex- ■ periments have been made, however, witli one form' of bomb —an egg- I shaped hand grenade full of indelible colouring, which can be thrown to mark an escaping car. Only once has its effectiveness been tested. A man r accidentally dropped one into his lap —his trousers were ruined! <