PICKPOCKETS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 65, 23 April 1914, Page 5

PICKPOCKETS.

That pickpockets are no respecters of persons is shown by the experience of the Eev Mr Lochore at Wellington. Mr Lochore was a passenger south by the Wahine, and was one of the big crowd struggling to get aboard the ferry stamer. When he got to the gangway he found that he had been relieved of a purse containing ten pounds and a few odd o,»ins. A warning note has been given over and over again, the Wellington correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times, about carrying moliey in the hip pocket. Working in a crowd, with a woman confederate between himself and the victim, it is quite an easy matter for .an experienced pickpocket to acquire the contents of a hip. pocket. The method is for the man and the woman to get together in a crowd, and, moving about, feel for the purse or wallet without arousing suspicion by pretending to be crushed by someone behind. Having located a "lump" in a man's hip pocket, the woman gets behind the man, and, with each bump, works the wallet up and up until it is almost to the top opening of the pocket. Then the male accomplice puts his arm under one of the woman's and under the victim's coat tails, and carefully lifts out the "wad" during a push from behind. The victim, -if lie feels anything, looks round (if he is able) and, seeing a woman, his suspicious are not aroused. If it were a man he would probably be suspicious. Having lifted a wallet the two squeeze their way out of the crowd and vanish. The thick crowd of an evening serves their purpose, and, to judge from the eases reported to the police, they appear to haunt theatre crowds fairly regularly.