SUCCESSFUL PARIS POLICE RAID

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1935, Page 12

SUCCESSFUL PARIS POLICE RAID

TN THEIR efforts to “clean up” Paris, detectives and uniformed police in fast motor-lorries on a recent night carried out another great raid upon the meeting places and haunts of suspicious characters from all parts of the world. This determined campaign to rid the city of its worst elements, has more than one object in view. The Prefect of Police Seeks to rout out the following undesirable elements:—

(1) Terrorists who are plotting political crimes such as the assassination of King Alexander and M. Barthou, at Marseilles. (2) Drug traffickers who have made Faris one of their centres of operations on a wholesale scale. (3) White slave traffickers, confidence men. and thieves and rogues Of all descriptions who have found a refuge in Fans since they were compelled to leave the scenes of their former exploits.

The campaign against the public enemies of France is on a scale hardly equalled by that waged against the gangsters of Chicago, and the prefect is determined to continue until the army of evil-doers is dispersed. Instead of suddenly pouncing on the vice dens of Montmartre and Montparnasse as on the previous night, the police descended on the Bastille quarter and the East End, where there are large colonies of political refugees and heterogeneous elements from all parts of central and southern Europe. Bursting unannounced into meeting halls, dance halls, cafes, and back-room bars of all descriptions, the detectives ordered all present to put their hands up. Anyone who did not obey at once was overpowered and handcuffed. Those who obeyed were marched out holding their hands above their heads and pushed into police cars. When the cars were safely parked at the Prefecture, the occupants were carefully assisted out. Those upon whom no suspicion fell were allowed to depart. The “bag” amounted to roughly 900 persons of whom 182 were detained for further investigation.