PURSE-SNATCHING

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14773, 12 October 1921, Page 6

PURSE-SNATCHING

PREVALENT FORM OF CRIME. A crime prevalent just now in Wellington is the lucrative one of liftinr women's purses from their bags, or their money from bags, open and shut, when there does not happen to be a. purse. Tins iias been going on in Wellington for six months "past, and though the police authorities have had dclcetives at work they do not appear to have been able to check it. The oilier day at the Courtenay Place tramway junction a lady, who lives in Auckland, lost her purse conlaining £ll on a Kilbirnie car. The purse was not contained in an upen hag. The central section of the bag was held together by a metal clasp, and over that again was a flap of leather held by a dome faslener, so that in order lo get at til! purse (lie dome fastener' had to be opened and the clasp unlocked. Such was the violence used that the lining of that section of the bag where the purse was reposed was torn by the clutching hand. Yel 1.110 lady, who had the bag string over her forearm at the time, stated that she fell nothing out of the way. This case was not, the only one recorded that day. Another lady lost her purse, also at Courtenay Place junet!on, that morning, and on another evening a lady passen-er complained of a loss of two loose £1 notes which she had in an open bag. The thief 1 actually missed the purse, but lit on the two single nob 1 ? that were lying loose.

Another form of daring theft connected with the tramcars is that in which the thief succeeds in abstracting a purse from a bag, then calmly opens il. lakes the money, and returns the purse 1,, the owner's bag without thai, person being any the wiser. This has been done on several occasions, and only goes lo show how daring and resourceful the thieves can be. It is understood that the police believe the culprit to be a woman. It takes a woman's special knowledge of ladies' bass and her light, deft touch to get away successfully with (he spoil. Now and again the tramways authorities are worried about another kind of thief altogether. A person boards .i car with ;i -nil-ease or portmanteau, throws it on the hack of the ear. gels a check slip fur il, and goes forward in to the open part of the ear, forgetting all about his property at the rear. Noticing his abstraction, the thief, who has also brought on a bag, stuffed with valueless clothing, or nothing at all. leaves the ear at a city stopping place, Ilfls the suit-case from the rear platform, and disappears with it. The cityis held responsible, for it accepts payment and gives a receipt for the bag, but the conductor cannot be always at, Hi" rear of the ear guarding the "luggage, and so losses have occurred, an 1 have bad to be made good. »