CURBING GANGS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 194, 2 September 1937, Page 9

CURBING GANGS

i Our Own Correspondent.)

New South Wales Police on the Alert "UNDERWORLD TABBED" i

( b'rorn

AUCKLAND. Last Nigbt. The eyes of the polico in New Soutb Wales are watchfu]. Tbey are ever ou the alert against teudencies towards "gangsterisni" of tlio kind wbich tbreatens public safety in Ameriea. Police Sergeant P. W. Selley, of Newcastle, who arrived by the Awatea with Alrs Selley to spend a holiday in New Zealand, descrihed the intensive police activities in the curbing of gang methods. "With the lielping of the Consorting Aet — a State measure — tlie police liave often becn able to nip gangsterisni in tbe bud," said Sergeant Seliey. "The New South Wales detective force haa. adopted'very up-to-dato methods," said. "It lias a consorting squad and knows just where it can pick up its man. Criminal Company. "Under the Act it is an offenco kumeu aud v.Tonien knovvn to liave criminaL reeoius to congiegaie. it is usual lor tlie police to give tiiese poiv.e ing — ■aml ii; tiiey disregard it they can ue nrougJit uiv> eustoay. The Act n>volves even a person wiio has not been ■ convictcd — a ciean skin,' as we call liuu. lie, too, comnuts an ofi'ence il' he Keeps company vvLii criminals. He agreed that New Zca.and cities wero practically free from sexious criniinal activities in coznparison with a huge city such a» Syuney is to-day. 'ihe Consorting Act,. however, had been responsible ior a iot of goud. A llcditerrancan' gang had once slarted activities in tbe State, but their career had been ' eut short. He reealled another gang whoso opeiations liad begun and ended with their iirst "job." They wero safebrcakers, whose methods wcre daringly unorthcdox. Instead of "blowing'' a safe, they would cut a hole in it large enougli for a man to entcr Former Aucklanders. Newcastle itself was hooniing, said Seryeant feelley, and with a boom criiue • >vaned. lip-.to-date detection methods ■, wero spreaumg tnrougb the State, aua :now iNewcastie had its radio patroi cars and transinitting station. liut these are so.did suhjects for j holiday conversation, and Sergeant and i Aitr belley spoke enthusiasticaliy of the visit to tbe Domimon which they wcre about to begin. They are, incidentally, natives of Auckland, having left hero 26 years ago and they invariably spend tneir holiuays traveilma. Last Soptember they went on a trip to Japan, and bef'ore that they had a much longer tour. Alrs Seliey's diary aceounts of their travels are featured in the New South Wales Police News, for she loves to share her experiences. Her husband is looking forward to meeting members of the Ngw. Zealand Police lforc©.