"PURELY A DREAM."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11000, 12 February 1914, Page 1

"PURELY A DREAM."

* —— lODAKS TOCATCH. CRIMINALS

POLICE OPINIONS DIFFER.

During the recent sitins- of .the Wellington Supreme Court, his Honor the Chief" Justice, in referring to the identification of rioters'in the. •" strike " trial in-Wellington, remarked that he could not understand why kodaks were not used by the police' lor identification -purposes. "Jn other conntnes," ; be eaid,. -".they: were used very largely, and 1. have .read .of; an account of a French, riot in which .tltey wvvo used. The police had a small camera' ivhich can;'be' operated iio>n the. waistcoat - pocket. '' ". : ' J. ' •..,... •'"What do you think of the a,sked .a' representative oi the of a .prohiuiejit othcial in the local police department. ... < "You can 'la i;e ; the tip from me. he replied, "that it. is purely a dnam. Theoretically it is an excellent, idea, but pr.actieaily .it .wouid He useless to the ordinary policeman. No doubt the Chief 'Justice meant, well by the remark, but ;ft r is an idea; winch- sound* very.well 'when y.oii; read about it. I '■would ba a novel'idea in a story, but to the intelligent policeman the- very idea.' at once suggests that 'it -is not so useful as the average man Mould think. \ - Just imagine a policeman in tho middle of a brawl or a. not pulling out , a kodak and taking .sua pshots. ; No, the idea is quite impracticable, and, & I, said .before, quite: a-dream."' "You may defend.'' be added, tba.t in the thirty or forty, years iir which the camera has been in use. ;l tho idea had .been practicable it. would ■have been • used., to advantage belore-to-day." Opinions differ, however, for a memv ber of the detective force had a more optimistic- view of the suggestion. ""I should think that it would work ▼ery well," was the reply to the question as to the kodak's utility. ■'For identification it would have good remits, but for the ordinary work it oould not be used to much account. A snapshot of a man committing a thelt ■would not help the department very much, for a policeman' in taking a photo must see the man,, and that is enough for him to go upon. But in cases of riots I should think it would her useful,"