PITFALLS OF PARIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

PITFALLS OF PARIS.

" NO WORSE THAW LONDON.*'

AN IMPRESSION DISPELLED. ADVICE OF POLICE CHIEF. " Paris is no worso than London," said Monsieur Chiappe, tho Chief of the Paris Police, wlio returnod to Franco recently, after a visit to London to discuss police methods in England. He maintained that tho admonition to tourists " Beware of Paris, with its underworld and its dark secrots," is no more applicable to the French capital than to any other of the world's great capitals. " Ycm ask mo what you. English should be careful to avoid in Paris," he said, ' 'and I say, bo careful of tho same thing 3 yon aro careful about at homo. Confidence tricksters, bogus interpreters, and guides tako for their prey tho eimplomindod," ho addod. " All you have got to do in Paris is to use common sense.

" Thoro aro dishonest interpreters in London just as thore aro in Paris. If you want a guido id London you English take caro you get, a good one—from an

agency or an hotel. Do the same thing in Paris. " It is a fallacy thai Paris is full of snares and pitfalls for foreigners. But for some reasons you become much more trustful of strangers in Paris. Then the evil that befalls you is your own fault. Would you speak to a stranger in London ? Paris is no worse than London," he added, " unless you aro an idiot." As a result of his visit to England, and a long conference with Lord Byng, tho Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, M. C'hiappo has dealt a severe blow to international criminals. Agreement has been reached by which Scotland Yard will have greater scope in tracing the criminal experts who make their coups in England and fly to tho Continent for sanctuary. Scotland Yard watches the movements of all emigrants with the utmost caro and keeps a meticulous record of their activities. This system has been carefully examined by M. Chiappe, who has come to tho conclusion that France would benefit materially, as well as other nations, by tho adoption of the same system. M. Chiappo described tho agreement as a most important step.