ARMED THIEVES

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1929, Page 14

ARMED THIEVES

AUSTRALIAN EPIDEMIC remarkable crime wave. UNEASINESS OF THE PUBLIC. Sydney, Aug. 8. The operations of armed thieves continue to a remarkable degree in Sydney and Melbourne. These armed robberies began in Melbourne, and such is the psychology of the criminal that it ■was not long before they spread to Sydney. Australia’s criminal history is a record of crime that has come in waves. The detectives were not surprised «t the turn of events, but the public are perturbed at their inability to make a capture. The detectives say that when they do make a captuie this class of'crime will cease. Anjihow the public would like to see at least one capture in order to be satisfied that the position has not got out Of hand. Again, the detectives assert that it is not a gang that is operating. They eay that this class of criminal prefers to work alone, for the chances of capture are not so great. The public ■ would like to be convinced on this point also. It is of- little satisfaction to know that the Australian criminal is not of the murderous type known to Chicago. They do not shoot to kill, according to the police, but a man vv ho has a revolver pressed into his ribs, or held up before him, will not take any risks. So it cannot be said that the police statements on the situation are very satisfying. Sydney had at least two eases of armed hold-ups during the week-end. Tn one. instance three masked men entered the home of a prominent boonmaker, and forced him to hand ovei all he’ had in the house—about £72— and they were probably disappointed that his return for the day should have been so small. The police were quickly on the scenef but they . have not made any arrest. Then on Monday ight, in the same locality, another man was held up at the point of the revolver, and made to hand over all he tad. Again the police made no arrest. SIX IN AN HOUR.

Within an hour on Saturday night a man with a revolver held up six persons at Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale, suburbs of Melbourne. Other cases of street robberies occurred at South Melbourne and in St. Kilda road, Melbourne. On two occasions the thief fired shotfl into the air after he had threatened to shoot the persons whom lie had held up. One woman with great courage refused to give up her money and struck the man with her umbrella, but a man to whom she appealed for help refused to have anything to do with the affair, and slammed°the door of his house in her face. He did not want to be the herd of any ■jEhooting episode. Every available 'member of the Melbourne police force was engaged on the cases, and in accordance with the policy adopted, no Information was given to the Press. The woman who showed such courage was Miss Kate Raymond, of Ascot Vale. Refusing point-blank to give the man her handbag, she struck him on the head. The man pressed a revolver against her chect and said: “Hand over the money. I want it without any trouble.” Miss Raymond noticed that his hand was not steady. • “I will not give you any money,” she ®aid, and at the same time she brought her umbrella down on his head. As he staggered back she screamed for help, and ehe opened the gate of ft house with the intention of entering. The man threatened that if she did not stop screaminn- he would shoot her, but Miss Raymond disregarded the warning. The man then fired two shots in the air,’ over her head, and ran away. Miss Raymond went to the door of the house, and the occupier said: “I do not want to have anything to do with this case,” and slammed the door in her face. She then rang up the police who were quick,ly on the Acene. But they all went back to the station, with the armed man still at large. . • Four of the other victims during the nioht'were women, and in at least one other case the thief got nothing for his trouble, but fired a bullet into the air as soon- as he encountered the opposition. It would seem that these Melbourne robbers are. not very brave or very clever, and it. is amazing that they should escape detection for so long, when the whole force of police, is out after them, aided by wireless and by motor patrons. It is a bad advertisement for the force. ARRESTS IN SYDNEY. » Confidence in the police in Sydney was restored to some extent at least when arrests followed the latest holdup by armed men on Tuesday night. However, the success of the police in this instance was due to the bravery o f the old man who was chosen for the robbery, and to the bravery of his neighbours, particularly a woman. The two masked bandits displayed amazing audacity when they entered the butcher’s shop of Michael Briggs, of Redfern. After Mr. Briggs had completed his various tasks in the shop he went upstairs to his room. On making an investigation, with the aid of a match, he very soon found himself looking into the barrel of ft revolver. “Sorry, old man,” said one of the intruders, “but we want your money, and we Want it quick.” With that they seized their elderly victim and soon bound him tightly. “Now, where is the cash?” they asked when they had made him helpless, and he replied that the only money he had was in the tin cash-box, to which he pointed, so obligingly. The men helped themselves to the silver, but they were far from satisfied, and demanded to know where the notes were'. They knew that the man had not banked that day. because it had been a bank holiday, but they did not know that he had on his person more than £l5O in notes which he had hidden > oway as soon as he wan aware that there were strangers in the house.. At this stage Mrs. Jackson, who lived next door, head the angry, voices, and as she knew that Briggs lived by himself, she commenced to. make investigations. She slowly raised a blind and peered into the permises, that ad* joined hers. She at once realised what was happening. Of course, she was able to inform the police at once, and the rapidity with which the police reached the scene was one of the features of the case. Very soon the whole ■ neighbourhood was aroused, and it was not” lon<r before the bandits realised hthat their presence had been discovered.

from the sliop, it was no long before they were arrested after two exciting encounters with the police. Both men are labourers—meaning that they do nothing in particular, for most of the idlers who are arrested call themselves labourers —and they are described by the police as birds of passage. [A cable message from Sydney published on Tuesday stated that the police on Monday effected five arrests in continuance of their war against the crime wave. Property was recovered valued at £2OOO, inc hiding six motor-cars, some of them stripp'd to the chassis. Over thirty rooberies have been accounted for, and during the cleared up fifty-eight robberies involvpaet fortnight the detectives have ' u-nrth manv thousands. 1