CRIME DETECTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 29 November 1933, Page 10

CRIME DETECTION

C.I.D. SYSTEM NEEDED PRESENT METHODS UNDER CRITICISM “It is impunity from arrest, not impunity from the gallows that is re# sponsible for the increase in the number of borders in New Zealand,” declared Miss E. B. Bauglmii, during a strong attack on present methods of crime detection adopted in the Dominion. Miss Bauglnin was speaking at the annual meeting of the Christchurch branch of the Howard League for Penal Reform, at which a motion was passed urging the Government to establish a Criminal Investigation Department so so that crime investigators could lie given specialised training (reports the “Times").

After slating that crime detection was the first line of defence for the public from criminals, Miss Baughan dealt with the Dominion’s detective system and said that it was not surprising that '-be Ruawaro and the Riccarton murderers had not been found. She quoted the ease of a nmn who bad been caught by the police after committing twenty offences, nineteen of them without being caught. If that criminal had been caught after the second or third offence thousands ot pounds would have he.a saved. The N'ew Zealand police system was such that an ordinary constable was only asked to be able-bodied and to have passed the fifth standard, and from that no doubt excellent body of men alone were the detectives chosen. _ The detectives now received no training, although some time ago it had been the custom to give them a little.

THOROUGH ENGLISH TRAINING 111 England the C.I.D. had daily gatherings in which instruction of various kinds was given, crimes were reconstructed and the men were shown what clues to suspect. In the Dominion the police worked on theories; now it seemed that one theory had been abandoned at Ruawaro for another one Tlie effect of such a system was 1,. u 1' in theft cases as well as in murders. As far as murder was concerned, one New Zealand judge had said that murders had increased because criminals were rarely executed, but it was rcallv impunity fvom arrest and not impunity from the gallows that was "responsible for the increase. A country that could not catch murderers was the country where murders would increase, for such was a country where it was safe to murder. Professional thieves argued that they were only “nabbed” at the twentieth time ami the chances were that when they came out they would be suceessful again nineteen times,’so why stop stealing? That was why crimes were increashig among young people. Young people to day were nothing if not adventurous, ’ used mechanical means criminally and knew that the chances were they would not he caught.

POSSIBLE USE OE DOGS . “I think we are very stupid in flic way we are not up to so many of our offenders,” added Miss Baughan. “They are so much cleverer than we are. Criminals of late have used mechanical devices, whereas most of our police have to go round on bicycles. The authorities say that the provision of swift transport facilities as in England' would be too expensive. As a matter of fact, why we don’t use dogs I could not say. A good dog could sometimes do the work of finding a body much more successfully than forty policemen. A friend of mine lias told me, for instance, of a case where a sheep cHg found a body after a search by police at a cost of £(100 had proved abortive. If we get a shocking murder and the person responsible cannot be found, we should use our intelligence to use the intelligence of a dog.” The president of the branch of the league (Mr R. M. Laing) also referred to crime detection in the course of an address on “Grime and Punishment.” He said that the Dominions must keep on improving the means of crime detection. That had been done to some extent, but at the same time criminals were becoming more expert. The use of gloves had prevented finger prints being secured and motor-cars increased the possibilty. of escape. Evidently there Avas need for the better training of the police and for the modernising of police methods. That was a lesson that should not be lost on Hie New Zealand authorities.