FINGER-PRINT SYSTEM

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1930, Page 3

FINGER-PRINT SYSTEM

ROBBERIES IN SYDNEY. TWO MEN ARRESTED. Search through many thousands of finger-prints at the Criminal Investigation Branch in Sydney lately led to two men being charged ■ with a series of robberies in the Campsie district, the proceeds of which amounted to hundreds of pounds. Much property has been recovered from pawnshops and other places. Two suspects were arrested and their finger-prints taken. These were submitted next morning to the finger-print experts, who then commenced to search through the finger-prints which had been secured at the scenes of crimes. Among the vast number of prints to be searched were some obtained on clocks, on a broken window-pane, on a polished table, on ornaments and door handles. By five o’clock in the afternoon the experts reported that the fingerprints of the two arrested men had been found on property in six widelyseparated houses which had been robbed. Accordingly, the men. were formally charged with the offences. The identification of the finger-prints was made possible by the new “single” finger-print system, inaugurated by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Childs, less than 18 months ago. Under the new system each finger-print is indexed separately. It is comprehensive and intricate, but during the time it has been in operation it had led directly to nearly 140 convictions.