CRIME WAVE IN BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 277, 23 November 1945, Page 5

CRIME WAVE IN BRITAIN

DOUBLE PROPORTION OF PRE-WAR YEARS

Recd. 6 p.m. London, Nov. 21. Britain is experiencing a wave of crime. Thieves are making hauls of jewellery, clothing, food, liquor and cars. Scotland Yard has 12 unsolved murder cases to be reviewed. It is' reported that crime is now double the proportion it was in 1939 and that it grows by 10,000 cases a month. One of the reasons is said to be the fact that there are 20,000 British and Allied deserters from the forces, many of them armed, who have no legal means of livelihood. Housebreaking has become a daily occurrence and cases of shops being broken into are frequent. It is also stated that, there are many new rackets and that gangsters are terrorising black marketeers and demand “protection money.” In eight of the 12 unsolved murder cases the facts indicate that the crimes were committed by men in the forces—either still in the services or deserters. Some of lhe murderers are undoubtedly foreign soldiers. One of the reasons why the police are finding it difficult to check this crime wave is the shortage of manpower. There are nearly 10,000 fewer men in the London metropolitan force now than in 1939 and much the same story is told in the provinces. This will be partly remedied by next March, when 800 regular policemen will be released from the services under Class B.

The return of basic petrol rationing brought many more cars out on the road and these have been fair game for thieves. In nearly all the large cities throughout Britain to-day missing cars are reported to the police at the rate of three or four a day. owners have been warned always to leave the car locked and immobilised. It is remarked that there was a similar outbreak of crime after the 1914-18 war and that it means getting easy money by men who are either jobless or have time on their hands. The police are using every means at. their disposal to cfleck the outbreak, including many radio-equipped cars, but until their forces are increased they will continue to be faced with a difficult task.