THE MODERN CRIMINAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 8941, 16 December 1907, Page 6

THE MODERN CRIMINAL.

SOBER AND SCIENTIFIC.

A DETECTIVE'S VIEW

Mr Justice A. H. Simpson stated the other day that "if it wero not for the excessive use of alcohol in tho world there would be little or no poverty, aud a large diminution of crime." One of the most experienced detectives in Australia made some trenchant remarks upon this subject yesterday. Ho said:

"A good deal of uousense is sometimes talked about drink being tho cause of crime. Real criminals are almost invariably sober meu. I could namo a hundred of them. Indeed Ido not know a siugle criminal of the professional class who is a drunkard. It is practically impossible to be both. The professional criminal—it does uot. matter whether he is a burglar, pickpocket, or confidence mau—is sober. The nature of his calling demands it. As a rule, too, they will have very little to do with others who do drink, for the latter are regarded as dangerous, not ouly because they cauuot be depended upou, but because of their liability to 'blab' or'squeak.' The professional has to keep a cool head if besets about to 'crack a crib,' just as a pickpocket has to have a steady hand when 'getting in a bit of fine work.'. Again, people can say what they like, but the detective police are smarter now than they used to be in the old time. They havo to be more capable, because there are so mauy scieutific and mechanical inventions which the regular criminal cau bring into use to help him. As au offset, to this efficiency it is absolutely necessary for the criminal to have all his wits about him to circumvent the police, who, it must not be forgotten, can call to their aid improved methods and systems, such as the photographing of finger prints. Speaking from my own experience, too, I have generally fouud the professional gambler, too, a sober mau, for exactly the same reasou. Drink is no doubt the cause of mauy lapses, say m the case of a mau committing forgery or embezzlement, and it may be that it is responsible for circumstances iv the home which lead to crime. Idleuess aud parental neglect, I believe, are two factors which have more to do with the making of the criminal thau anything else. The names of a number of the worst aud most daugreous criminals that we have to deal with in this State occur to me at the moment, aud I kuow they were generally temperate men. I dou't say they would not have a drink, but they were too keeu about their owu safety to go to auy excess. If men of that stamp did do so the work of the police would be easier thau it is. "—Sydney Morning Herald.