GUNMEN IN SYDNEY

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1936, Page 3

GUNMEN IN SYDNEY

ATTACKS ON TAXI DRIVERS

SYDNEY. May 2T.

Last Saturday night, Alfred Morgan, a taxi driver, of Chatswood, picked up two fares in a Rozelle Street about 8.15. They asked to be driven westward to Ryde, about three miles away, but when they had got as far as Gladesville Bridge one of the passengers—they were both- young men —ordered the driver to stop. They got out and, producing revolvers, directed Morgan to come into the back seat. One of them then drove the car south to Sydenham, and then, both again drawing their guns, they ordered Morgan to hand over his money. They took from him £3 in cash, and drove back to Camperdown, where they stopped. Morgan then took his car to the Redfern police station and reported the robbery. "This story has nothing very sensational about it, but its significance lies in the fact that the robbery of Morgan marked the fifth consecufive attack made by footpads and gunmen upon taxi drivers at week-ends, and the seventh serious crime of ihe kind reported during the past three weeks. These assaults are all of the same character. On the same evening a taximan, ordered by his fares to drive to Haberfield, was “stuck up” in Leichhardt, threatened with revolvers, and robbed of £2. Another taximan, ordered, like Morgan, to drive to Ryde, was stopped at Gladesville and robbed of his watch and 30/-. An even more atrocious case occurred during the previous week, wjten Buxton, a Yellow Cab man, had pepper thrown in his eyes, and while thus disabled was’ robbed of 30/- and otter Buxton was taken to hospital, where it is said he has suffered agonies, and there is doubt whether his sight may not be permanently affected.

The frequent recurrence of such criminal assaults is naturally alarming to the taxi men, who remember only too well that a similar epidemic last year culminated in the murder of one driver and the serious injury of another. Many of them are married, and their wives and children are said to live under a constant sttain of nervous dread while the men are on duty. The proprietors and managing officials of the many taxi companies operating in Sydney are gravely alarmed, and last week, in the Legislative Council, Mr. F. W. Spicer secured the adjournment of the House to discuss as a matter \of urgent public importance “the alarming increase in the robbery of taxi drivers by armed men, with a view to hastening protective action.”

WARNED NOT TO ‘“SQUEAK.” The decision brought out some interesting and alarming details. One is the fact that these robberies are very numerous, but that small losses are* not generally reported, because the driver cannot afford to lose more money and time in Court procedure. A man wno was robbed of 3/- recently was advised to take out a warrant at a cost of 8/- and appear in Court at the loss of a whole day’s wages and takings. Naturally he did nothing. There is another and more sinister reason for the silence generally maintained by the victims of such attacks. They have frequently been warned that the highwaymen will “get” them if they “squeal,” and such a threat, reinforced by a menacing pistol, is naturally, in many instances,

• efficacious. There is no doubt about the magnitude and the serious nature of this evil, but a remedy is not easy to devise. Mr. Maddocks, as Commissioner for Ro id Transport, has suggested that it should be compulsory to place a stout bulkhead in all cars between first and back seats, but the taxi-men think that this would be extremely inconvenient, would provide no defence against gun-fire, and would give criminally minded fares a better chance of arranging their plans in silence and secrecy. The suggestion that all taxi-men should be permitted to carry arms (at present they are not allowed to do so) seems equally futile, because, in the case of a sudden attack from behind, the driver would have neither time nor opportunity to use his gun. The “Daily Telegraph’s” idea that special squad of police should be detailed to act as taxi-drivers might be effective in some instances, but could obviously not be applied on a large scale. As to. deterrents, it is urged that sentences against such criminals should be made particularly, severe because z of the helplessness of their victims; and the plea of one taxi-company I manager, after the attack on poor I Buxton, the driver who has been blinded, perhaps permanently, by brutal thugs—for the reintroduction, of the lash as a penalty in such cases, would doubtless secure general public approval. POLICE DISTURBED. 0/ course the police are much disturbed by the frequent 'recurrence of these assaults and the difficulty of enforcing an appropriately severe penalty. By the way, since 'the three attacks on drivers last Saturday night. two' young men have been arrested under highly suspicious circumstances; and no doubt the Criminal Investigation Bureau is doing its best to cope with this problem in its own way. The fact that is evidently | most alarming to the police as well as to the general public is the ease and facility with which criminals here are able to secure revolvers and other- dangerous firearms. Though taximen have been the most numerous, victims of such attacks, there have been half a dozen cases of robbery reported within the past fortnight in which money has been extorted from small shopkeepers and others with the help of the ever-; present gun. Taking all these things i into account, an obvious step is to j render it more difficult to secure and conceal such weapons. Under the j present law there’ is no necessity for j -licensing a firearm with a barrel of 9in or more; as anything over that size is not regarded as dangerous, be-1 cause it is difficult to hide. It is notorious, however, that many gangsters here, as in other countries, have armed themselves with “sawn-off” shotguns and revolvers of which the 1 barrels, originally long and heavy, ( have been cut down below the maxi- • mum limit. Our Chief Secretary, Mr. Chaffey. has announced that as a result of the frequenev of such crimes, he proposes to submit to Parliament, an amendment of the law that will make it necessary to take . out a license for “any weapon capable of; concealment” without stipulating I length or measurement. The “Sun” I and the “Daily Telegraph” have both j argued strongly in favour of insisting on licenses for all firearms. On the theory that “guns breed gunmen,” this seems the right policy to follow.