TERROR OF THE PISTOL

NZ Truth, Issue 1192, 4 October 1928, Page 10

TERROR OF THE PISTOL

Have Gunman Arrived To Swell Criminal Ranks? ".» - ' _ . -- (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative., Thai dread bird of prey, terror of all decent citizens— the gunman— it - seems, has at last" emerged from the criminal world of the Dominion to wage te rror and exact tribute. at the menace of the pistol point.

WHETHER the dramatic hold-up of an Auckland draper, George T. Pearce, and his wife m Mt. Eden Road last Friday night, when two motor bandits, after robbing the wife, threatened to shoot. Pearce if he made trouble, is the initial step m a new campaign of criminal, exploitation by rarmed men— or merely an isolated in/stance where an elaborate bluff was staged to evade pursuit— -remains to be seen. But if, as Pearce states, he was menaced" by a pointed revolver m all seriousness, then fhe only conclusion to be 'drawn from the outrage is tha.t there is a new type of criminal evblvihg m our midst who is modelling himself on the pattern of his deadly prototype—the , Australian * gunman gang- ■ -ter. . ' •'. , If that- is the' case, then the police are confronted with a new a.hd danI gerous type of ■

crook, who, unless . stamped out at once, j will inevitably beI come the terror of |,peaceful, law-abid-I ing citizens.

The, story of the daring hold-up of Pearce and his wife is a highly-sensa-tional, one, which, reads more like a page of fiction than an incident of actual experience. .Until the men responsible are laid by the heels and clapped m gaol, it is mere surmise to assume that the attack marks a new departure m crime m this country — ' that the two men responsible are the pioneers of a new and desperate system, of criminal exploitation. It is possible that the perpetrators of the Pearce outrage were young men who staged the revolver incident as a bluff to intimidate their victims. It cannot be said with any degree of certainty that the gun — if it happened to be a real one-— was loaded, or that the wielder of the weapon had any intention of carrying out his grave threat to shoot. But what is certain is that the men

responsible for the hold-up were operating m a stolen car and that the theft of Mrs. Pearce's bag was carried out with a reckless desperation that brands the thieves as something more than casual amateur crooks. Whatever the explanation • is — -whethpr they were : genuine gunmen or simply reckless larrikins---the whole incident-, is a disgrace to the community, and no effort must be spared to hound them and their kind to justice. ''-'- • ■; .'. ■•';... "'''•'•'.'': '". •' ■ Pearce, \frho keeps a clothier and mercer establishment m Pitt Street, was returning hottieto his residence m Mt. \Eden Road- about ..ten o'clock last Friday night.'- ; J'J ■'■'■■' yi When near' the. Mt. .. Eden railway station and— the irony of it —^within a stone's throw of the ; -' ; ' -.''■■■■ ■ '■' '

gaol, Pearce noticed a motor-car pull up oh the other, side .'of; the road. The next thing he knew was when

Mrs. Pearce, who was c&rrylhg an attache-case, screamed. Her, handbag; was snatched from her hirid by one of two -men, who had, evidently crejpt up behind them after leaving the car."" ''..■'' Pearce was then pushed' in the back froni behindr tripped up and sent sprawling on the footpath, sustaining face injuries. '• 'The two attackers hurried across the road towards the car and Pearce gstve • chase. •..■.."■_■--."■' ■• He managed to jufrp onto the .running-board, and, when attempts to push him off failed, one of the .men'drew a revolver and threaten- • ed to shoot. Pearce told ."Truth's"* representative* that he could see the revolver quite well arid is . satisfied . 'it,-, was not a dummy. While this was going on, the driver Of the car /was malting" frantic efforts to get away. 'A imah came out of a house arid cn r deavoped to stop- the get-away, but by this time- the driver started the car, which dashed off. at ; high speed. • Pearce was . compelled to , reliriquish his hold on the car. arid fell m the roadway. J J'- " J ; .-.;, j-.J .'_■ j; ■■'.;.■ , Th?-.-; contents of. the hag wljlch was taken, from: Mrs. Peaijce contained a surri of . £5j together with papers and a bunch of key siIt was subsequently discovered that the can' used by the -bandits had been stolen by tnem. . It was a Talbot flve-seaterand corresponded with one stolen trom Cavariagh's garage m the city early the same da^". - The car was discovered abandoned outßlde a^'store on the Great; South Road' next morning at seven aim., and m it \yas found a card bearing Mrs.

Dangerous Crooks

Gangster Terror

Pearce's name and address. This card had been m her. handbag. The whole episqde was carried out with great daring and reckless disregard for consequences. This alone points to the fact that the desperadoes are no ordinary criminals. For the present, at any rate, speculation will centre on the threatened gunplay. ' , * It may have been sheer bluff; it may have, been a dummy revolver--- or, if it was a real one,, it might have been un.loaded; .

.But the fact remains that a desperate outrage was perpetrated m a city street, and, having regard to all the circumstances, it is more than likely that the revolver was no dummy, that the threat tp shoot would have been carried out had the car been impeded. , New Zealand does not want gunmen : . • ■ ■ crooks abroad, but ~~ ' it certainly looks as though "this dangerous type of criminal has arrived. If that is the case,

"~ " then their activities must be nipped m the uud bofore they are allowed to become a menace that now confronts Australian cities. • ' ■ ■ • The Pearce outrage brings home more convincingly than anything else the soundness of "N.Z. Truth's" campaign for police reform, concerning which this, paper has been hammering at the authorities for months past. "Truth" has consistently ; advocated the need for a flying squad of detectives m the four main centres, m order to cope with such situations as arose m the present case. But, as it happened, the crooks got away m a stolen car and were at large all night until it suited their purpose to abandon it early next morning. Had there been such a thing as a flying squad m Auckland, transported qarry out ,a ' dozen desperate crimes, even murder itself, if they are of the type that all v the circumstances of their attaxk on the Pearces suggest.

The time has arrived — and once again, with persistent emphasis, "Truth" repeats its former arguments —for a drastic review of the methods of crime detection. What has to be borne m mind is the fact that the rqain; centres of thie Dominion are no longer m "the village" state. They are large- cities, increasing m size every, year — especially Auckland — and the problems ■■> and types of big cities are increasing with their growth. • ■ The modern criminal has taken to the motor-car. It naturally follows that if the police are to have a flying start, they also must take to the motor-car. , ' It all comes back to the old ques-

tion. The need today is for a flying squad. The- sooner they are established facts and i, main - tamed on' a. per-

manent ready-at-a--moment's-notice, basis, the better, for all concerned/ • - . , -•

As things are at . present, the : pplice work .at a disadvantage with the clever cropk who knows the value of a motorcar when it comes to a quick getaway. ' ;, The police: must play him at his own game and the fastest types of car available- should be m Readiness ■ every hour of the day and night at every central police station. ; J This is the' crux of the whole matter. If the gunman has' at last made . his appearance, any ■'- expense- and: any means adopted to root him but are justified. .., Such a case is the Pearce outrage, ff the Government want the police to do their duty by the community, then the Government must play the game by the police, and organize flying squads without delay.