The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

ON THE DECREASE OF CRIME.

The following appeared in Tuesday's Times. The
suggestions it contains are so valuable, that we have
much pleasure in reproducing the letter
do not know whether In the present concentrated state
of public attention you will be able to afford space for a
subject of great home interest -elk , the diminution of
crime but if you can, So remarkable a diminution has
occurred within a limited area, and the cause of the diminu-
tion is Po easily and clearly traced, and may so readily be
more widelv extended, that! will ask to be permitted to call
public attention to it .

Luton Is a manufacturing town of some 25,000 inhabitants,
placed In an agricultural county : it is of very rapid growth ;
its Inhabitants have been gathered from all parts of the
country, and It includea a great number of the waifs and
stray, of society; it has always been the Wee noir of the
county magistrate.; its police arrangements have been very
costly ; it has very greatly welled the number of prisoner,
in the gaol, and no measures have ever seemed to touch or
affect its crime.
In September, 10439, the magistrates of the division deter-
mined to try the sildct of the rigid enforcement of the
Habitual Criminal. Act, combired with • decided exercise
of the power vested in them In the Beerhouse and Lice; sing
Acts.
_ .

They withdrew the licence from above 30 beershops and
public-houses of the lowest class, which were reported to be
the habitual resort or convicted persons, and they Issued
a notice to all publicans that though the criminal class
might be permitted to take refreshments In their houses and
go away, yet their remaining in the house longer than was
necessary for that purpose would be taken to be '• harbour-
ing," and would involve the forfeiture of the licence.

The marine store dealers were &leo cautioned as to the
new and stringent measures which affected them, prohibit-
ing the purchase of small lots of metal, (he.

The result was immediate the places where crime was
concocted and where stolen property was disposed of were
gone •, the pleasant life in the publichoue spent In con-
genial society was gone ; the criminal clus was aa miserable
as Idle men about town suddenly deprived of their clubs ;
many of them have gone to honest labour, some of them
have cringed, some of them have left the neighbourhood,
and the remainder are thoroughly cowed and disheartened.
The result le that the convictions have diminished In the
district by nearly one half, and in the town itself by more
than one-half, and I really believe that If we could only give
additional facilities for getting out of a criminal Ilfe a more
astonishing reduction la poesible, for the supply of thieves
is being cut off by the committal of any boy twice convicted
of theft to a reformatory school,

The labours of the police, also released from watching
these dens of crime' have been directed into another chan-
nel with such effect that not a single cue of undetected
crime bar been reported to the superintendent in a town with
£5,000 inhabitants from Midsummer to Michrermaa.

I should add that this action has had the advantage of
befog worked out under a very active and Intelligent super-
intendentpLpoliee.

Does not thin seem to show the direction In which we me
to proceed If we are to suppress crime, and that it must be
rather by preventive than punitive measures?

- -
I dare not treepus on your space by further Indicating
that direction, though lam tempted to do.—H UGH SMYTH,
E.q., one of tie magistrates of the dirttion.
Houghton Regis, Oct. 29.