POLICE RAID.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17352, 17 May 1924, Page 26

POLICE RAID.

HOW A GAMBLING SCHOOL WAS RUSHED. DECOYS WHO WERE HANDCUFFED.

Many people will remember the historical'raid that the Wellington police made on a gambling school some lour vears ago. But there are tew who are aware of the inner facts —bow the officers carried out the scheme that l resulted in the arrest of twenty-three I members of the most notorious gambling school that had come under the | notice of the police of this country. ’The story was told to a reporter to- | ’ day by a man who took part m the | raid. x , j In a vacant lot at the rear of Newtown Park, Wellington, the men were ; accustomed lo gather on Sunday morn- , ings and pursue their games of hazards \ at little risk of police or outside inter- j ference. 'Through a mysterious channel intelligence was brought to the j police and a. raid was decided upon. It was shortly after six o’clock one j Sundav morning in early summer that fifty officers drawn from the metro- | poll tan area and outlying districts surrounded the gamblers’ retreat. I he, section on which the gaming was car- ; lied on was hollow. Behind the surrounding embankment, the police stood little chance <if detection. __ The men were completely surrounded, and as there were two officers to every one of the gamblers the police were hope- ; ful of “ putting over ” a very success- | ful raid. The plan of campaign was , for the northern section to attack, in j order that the .men should be driven into the south-east corner. Everything would have gone well with the officers hail not one of their number on the eastern flank allowed bis helmet to be seen by oue of the gamblers, when peering over the embankment. The man raised the "alarm, and in a few short moments everything was confusion. There was no alternative but for the police to attack regardless of the tactics that had required hours of careful thinking out on the part of the men “ higher up.” The most outstanding point of the situation was that the men actually knew that they were to be raided. There was no doubt about that, for two decoys of the police, who were members of the force, told the officers

of the matter after their men were safe behind the bars. The police decoys were amongst the. gamblers and were taking a very apparent interest in the proceedings. It was their duty to endeavour to

detain the gamblers until the raiding party arrived. These two officers , were, of course, drawn from the out- i lying districts, in order that they might not he readily recognised, and ! of course, they were somewhat camouflaged for the occasion. When the officers charged down on the men in batches of fives and tens, they were more than astounded at the weight of number*. Closed in on ! all sides, there was little chance of j escape. Policemen and their quarry j were rushing everywhere. everything was confusion, and herte and there ai. officer and his man could be seen engaged in fisticuffs. Naturally the police were severely handicapped by the disorder that had arisen, and they had no light task in keeping the men within the section. Policemen were everywhere—and the gamblers were running around in circles. The decoys, too, were running—and four officers were following in their wake. The decoys ran on and stili the officers followed. It was a long run, and it is said that all were good sprinters. This was no element of strategy, for had the pursuing* officers known it tlieir services were in urgent demand elsewhere. The officers did not know that their quarry were members of the force—thev knew nothing of the two decoys, ami the men were handcuffed with the rest of the party. There were . twenty-three men in the gambling party at the time of the raid. and | tv. cnty-enc were arrested, only two effecting an escape. They, however, were -Subsequently arrested. This was on of the most successful raids conducted by the police in years. Large crowds gathered as the men were marched through the city streets, and many hostile remarks were hurled at the police The two decoys were at the head of the bunch, each handcuffed to his captor. One of them was a young fellow with a youthful countenance, being only a recent recruit to the force.

‘ i/onve the lad go yer big bully-” shouted otic sympathetic old lady at the officer who was conducting his man to the station^ dim' i towards the two decoys at the head of the lino »