THRILLS OF POLICE NIGHT PATROL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 13, 16 January 1936, Page 3

THRILLS OF POLICE NIGHT PATROL

HUNTING CRIMINALS BY TOUCH LIGHT - Dot, diot, dash, dot the morse code message is coming through to the West wireless police night, patrol. A call to Hurstville where an escaped prisoner is reported. So, in company with four of Sydney’s plain-clothes detectives go towards Hurstville, with the police siren sen 1ing cars and pedestrians scattering to l ight and to left as we appreach, writes Jean McCay in the Sydney Sun. The local police are all watching the surrounding streets when we arrive, so we cruise around for 50 minutes until I find myself suspecting the worst of every man in every doorway. But, unfortunately they are all clad respectably with collar and tie, and our quarry is not, according to wirelessed descriptions. Thrilling .Beat At 5.30 we are to meet the East patrol so that we can change over and sec what excitements this part of the city cun offer. On the .way the working of the wireless, which can receive and send c-ut within a radius of one hundred miles, is explained. I am also allowed to handle a revolver, and discover that it is a .32 calibre, as used : n all the best murder stories. A visit to :i joss house, where the Oriental propietor is 81 and looks 50, lias been made during the evening by the crew of the East patrol, 1 am told. This beat sounds full of thrills to me and we set off to find them. Wireless messages are received at intervals, and we hear of a robbery at Tv.rramurra, a house broken open at Darramatta, a handbag stolen and an assault made in the West patrol district. Bondi . Assault But still nothing for us as wo drive through incredibly narrow, dark streets at Surry Hills. Then our signal is tapped out and we make .for Bondi where a man has been assaulted. We find our destination without a mistake every time. When we pull up outside the house, the villains of the piece have disappeared, but the vi'.'.tim had got a bit of his own back before they loft him and is none the worse .for ’is adventure. On our traid's we stop several times to watch incidents which th.eatcn to turn into a brawl at any moment, 'fiut an audience, even at a distance, has a subduing effect. Interrupted .Supper ■While parsing a row of unlit trams which have stopped for the night, a detective’s keen eyes sees something amiss, and as the car swings round and two of our men walk over to the tram, we find that we are putting an effetive stop to a supper party of stolen goods. When a lad is brought across and pint into the back of the car he is si ill unrepentant, and calmly offers V-jgarottes to the .us/embled company. We leave him in the tender care of the nearest police station. Next comes a message of a factory door broken open. When we reach it I get out to satisfy my curiosity, and try to look intelligent as torches are flashed round the broken door and through the manhole above it. “Male .Screams” ►Someone niunlbly climbs from one drainpipe to another to reach the fire escape and inspect the windows while I should say sheer auto-suggestion helps another through the manhole. It would seem that this is not the night when Fate dcstinet I. shall come face to face with a housebreaker, for we draw another blank. “ M.acquaricstrect, opposite the B.M.A. building. A woman has heard 'unmerciful male screams,’ and seen a man in white trousers running away/ is our next message. “We leave our inspection of Moodlooniooloo and hurtle up to Macquariestrcct, where 1 feel ever so helpful flashing a spotlight round in the direction indicated by a lass in a floral silk dressing-gown. But all 1 discover in our two men searching the place with torches, and a hobo or two have been awakened by the lights, though “uunmerciful screams'’ failed to disturb them. Once I nearly had everyone chasing after a supposed man beside the Concervatorium, but discovered in time it was merely a shadow 1 was mak ng with the spotlight. The man in white trousers had disappeared. Then back Io head office, it. now being 1.30 a.m., and 1 leave the East patrol crew to have their “breakfast” before, continuing their rounffis until 0 o ’clock. At present 1 am busy practising noises like a police siren in the hopes of being allowed to go through the bridge toll gates without paying—yes, they took me over the bridge amt track, and it feels grand!