ARMED POLICEMEN.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1518, 5 February 1886, Page 4

ARMED POLICEMEN.

This is a queer country (says the Graphic), and till the other day everybody might possess revolvers except the only people who really wanted such weapons, namely, the police. It is evident that if robbers make a practice I of carrying "shooting irons" fas the Americans used to call them), the f police will be powerless, unless similarly equipped. It is satisfactory, therefore, to learn that the J>sex Magistrates (impressed by the murder of Inspector Simmonds at Komford) have decided to arm with revolvers for night duty those constables who are stationed on the Metropolitan frontier where villains are most likely to be found. The loss of life and injuries caused by the Setherby desperadoes one of whom, by the way, is said to hate been concerned in the R- mford incident—might have been avoided, if the night patrols had been invariably armed with reTolrers. With respect to the burglary itslf, one cannot help recalling the Scriptural maxim, 44 Lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth, wbere thieves break through and steal.'' When a private individual keeps £3O,UOU worth of portable and highly valuable property in a bed-room it is nally offering a premium to criminals. The suggestion may sound Utopian, but a great deal of temptation would be avoided if watch-cases were invariably made of some comparatively valueless material, and still more if all jewellery were adjudged to be State property, and were made legally unsaleable ail over the world. Owners of valuables would escape from the carking anxieties which they now endure, and every woman in her turn would have the opportunity of wearing magnificent pamret which are now jealously bidden away in casketa for months at a time-