VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14566, 31 December 1910, Page 6

VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

Another graphic object-lesson upon the value of publicity is given by the discovery of the headquarters of the Hound&ditch murderers. The London police authorities, despite their limitless resources and tireless detective work, had completely failed in obtaining any definite information until the newspaper reports atracted the notice of an . innocent landlord. Crippen was recognised in MidAtlantic owing to similar newspaper publicity, and would probably be alive arid at liberty to-day had the London police pursued the policy of silence so dear to the police authorities of New Zealand. There is no reason whatever for the amazing love of secrecy with regard to crime which has been developed in our Dominion bureaucracy. The vast majority of citizens are entirely sympathetic with the maintenance of the law, and may safely be trusted to assist the police whenever the hue-and-cry is raised. To imagine that better results can be obtained by the sleuth-hound methods which ! have been created by sensational writers than .. by • promptly, securing the co-operation .of . the public is utterly •'stupid, ■ and should be repudiated by every civilised Department of Justice. Possibly secrecy may be .necessary in countries like . Russia, where public opinion is antagonistic to a tyrannical authority, but publicity is the most effective weapon that can be used against undiscovered criminals in any law-abiding and law-respecting community.