CRIME IN MELBOURNE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20343, 26 August 1929, Page 13

CRIME IN MELBOURNE.

EXAGGERATED REPORTS.

MANY STORIES DISCREDITED. Within a period of a few weeks 50 ''hold ups'' were reported to the Melbourne police. Discussing epidemic of this class of crime. Superintendent Walsh, officer in charge of the criminal investigation branch, said the detectives had carefully investigated each case, and l.hpy were' satisfied that there was sortie, doubt concerning the genuineness of 15 of the reports. fine of those who had reported having been tyeld up by an armed man and robbed at the point of a pistol, said Mr. Walsh, had almost broken down under crossexamination. and had informed the detectives that, fie "did not wish further inquiries ruarje.'' The monetary losses of a number of the alleged victims could be .traced back to the racecourse and the gaming deri. Detectives bad a thankless task in inquiring into many of the reported/'hold ups." Although they were unable to wring a confession from the, supposed/victim, they were satisfied in their own minds that he or she was not telling the truth. It. was a great pity that persons who concocted fictitious stories of "'encounters'' with mythical bandits could not be punished in some way, but as the law stood at present the police were powerless to fake action against them.

Mr. . Walsh added that several suspects bad been-'dptained. but the viclirns of (bp gunmen .could not identify thpm, and J hey u-frf released. Some suspects had been arrested on other charges and had received short terms of imprisonment. He had maintained from the outset that the suburban "hnld-ups" were not being perpetrated by expert criminals. A professional thief would not risk years <>f gaol for the poor reward nf a few shillings—he aimed for larger stakes. The ' hold-ups" were the work of a few subUrban hooligans, who seized the opportunity to profit by the public scare. Tn the office at police headquarters Mr. XValsh has quite a collection of imitation pistols seized by the detectives in their investigations. Some of the "toys' are of such excellent workmanship and pattern that it is only by close inspection that th 6 clever imitation can be detected.