POLICE RAID IN CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21131, 14 March 1932, Page 8

POLICE RAID IN CITY.

GREY'S AVENUE PREMISES. PAKAPOO PLAYING ALLEGED. LARGE CROWD ASSEMBLES. BRICK THROWN AT DETECTIVE. Excitement was caused in Grey s Avenue on Saturday evening when a party of detectives raided premises occupied by a Chinese and arrested nine men, c'ght, of them Europeans, on charges of gaming. A crowd of over 1000 persons gathered, surging round the door of the raided shop, and it was necessary to obtain four,more police from tho central station before the arrested men could be taken away. Tho crowd did not make a massed demonstration, but a heavy portion of brick was thrown at a detcc live, narrowly missing him and breaking the plate-glass window of the shop. The raid was carried out at 8 p.m. by a party, comprising Detective-Sergeant Doyle and Detectives Nalder, McWhirter, Hunt, Wilson and Whitehead. The premises consisted of a vacant shop on the ground floor, and the. police party experienced no difficulty in entering, walking in through the front door, which was closed but not locked.

Eight Europeans and one Chinese were in the shop, tho window of which was opaque for the greater part of its height. After producing their warrants the detectives arrested all the men, who made no resistance. The detectives seized a quantity of material which, it was alleged, was used for playing pakapoo. Reinforcements Summoned. News of the raid spread with great rapidity, and within a few minutes a large crowd, which grew later to over 1000 persons, gathered on the footpath and roadway outside. Most of the men in the crowd were Europeans, there being groups of Chinese sprinkled here and there. When the detectives were ready to escort the arrested men to the police station bystanders were packed close to the door, and it was at once, seen that there might be difficulty in faking the prisoners out. There was no exit from the back of the building. The police party was outnumbered by the accused, and had any of them broken away it, would have been impossible to rearrest them in the, dense crowd in the darkness. It was plain that the sympathy of the gathering was with the prisoners, and the police knew that if a diversion was created they might lose them. Detective-Sergeant Doyle then went, to the police station, where he obtained Detective O'Sullivan and three constables in uniform. The constables opened out a path to allow the arrested men to be placed in taxicabs, and they were removed safely. Remanded on Bail. On arrival at the police station the Chinese, Kar Ching, aged 35, described as an importer, was charged before Mr. J. Donald, J.P., with using tho premises as a common gaming house, and was remanded to appear at the Police Court this morning. Bail in the sum -of £25 was allowed. The eight others were similarly charged with being unlawfully on the premises, and were also remanded on bail.

While Detective O'Sullivan was standing with the constables outside the shop a large portion of a brick, which had apparently been lying in a vacant section near by, was thrown by a man in the crowd and narrowly missed him, crashing through the shop window and the partition at the back of the window.

Later in the evening a labourer, Archibald Swain, aged 35, was arrested and charged with assault and committing mischief by breaking the window, which was valued at £ls. He was' remanded to appear at the Police Court .this morning.