"THE FLYING SQUAD"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 176, 12 August 1937, Page 5

"THE FLYING SQUAD"

OWfl Correspondent.)

- ■ ■ ■■■ w mm y Christchurch Detectives Work with Bicycles TRAMS ALSO USED

(Piorn Our

CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night, Offentlers against the tfaffic regulations in the city and sublirbs aie tlsttally chased and brouglit to book by inspectors in high-pqwered, fast cars, Criminals are chas'ed usually by detectives on bicycles. Tho eity detcctive oihce possesses no car oc its own, and its members have to share alike with other branches of tho force the use of the two cars attaohed to the station, which are used for all police work — which includes ma'.ty jobs outside of the actual traCipg oi criminals. * Cn thc frequeut 0ceasions when the official cars are in- other use, detectives have recdUt'se eitlier to bicycles or train-i — and in GXfcreme cases are authorised to take taxis. In this Christchurch lags behind some of the otlier cities of tlie Dominion— notably AuckJahd, where the detectives have whxt is generaliy known as a "flying sqnad,' ' the cliief part of which is a fast, madern car, fltted with a special sir tn for use iu clearing tiaflEie in tim s . of emergency. A year ago Christchurch also had what some persons called a "flying eqitad,); Oue of the detectives had for his private uSe an Ehglish car, many years old, which was almost a landmark outside the police station. The present claim of the mobility of the city's detective force also rests on the ownership by several of the members of the force of private cars. The other s rely on bicycles, or walk, or go by tram.