BICYCLE THEFTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXII, Issue 13574, 21 October 1904, Page 2

BICYCLE THEFTS.

THE POLICE AND THE PUBLI6I Inspector Gillies was waited ■upon by » reporter yesterday in regard to statements . in the newspapers as to thefts of bicycles, especially from th* Public Library. He said that regulations prevented him from disc-losing departmental matters, to the newspapers, and, in any case, he- did not like to supply information on these- subjects. In" view of letters that hadj appeared in the Press in connection with the thefts from the Library, however, he could state that emee J«nu3ry only three machines had been reported to the police aa having been stolen from the institution. All had been recovered and returned to their owners. Only one bicycle lamp had been reported as having been stolen from- tha Library. Unfortunately, it had not been traced." There was a rather curious faci in connection with one of the stolen bicycles. It was lost on September 27. -Oj> September 28, a Letter in regard to it- t written on the date it w?s lost, appeared in a newspaper, complaining about the theft of the machine. On September 28, only one day after the loss, and on the same dajf as the letter appeared, the machine was re« turned to its owner. In spite of that, and of tlie promptitude shown by the police, a letter appeared in the "Lyfctelton Times " on October 4, referring to the theft of the same machine. The two other bicycles were recovered very soon after thej had been stolen, and were restored to thera owners. In the faoe of the circumstances, he thought that there must be some ulterior object in writing letters containing statements that obviously had no. foundation. Yesterday, the following letter, signed ''Private A.W.M.," appeared in the "Lyttelton Times":—"l am ghd you am giving Tirominenco to the letters of some more "victims of the bicycle thief. lam a , Volunteer, and while on Government parade last week my acetylene lamp wa? stolen . from mv bievele. It is a bit rough. I give mv time to the public service and I am rob*b:d while doing so. Officers are indifferent; police are even more so, or incapable. This form of crime is becoming a. public scandal." The lors of that lamp had not been reported to the police. The man who signed the letter ought to have reported his los-3 at once. If he did that, the police would endeavour to trace it. The facts, so far as the police were concerned, spoke for themselves. As soon as thefts were reported to the police, thorough investigations would be made, and no stona would be left unturned to trace stolen bicycles. The letters charging the police with neglect were obviously without foundation.