The Sun.
London, England, 1816-09-10 00:00:00

POLIGE OP .THE m•?...Taopords.

. •
[Sonic Itiol'a.AsAttatot li. AumoNv, Es 7 a' Ma-
gistrate forila of .11i1411estx.
In your capacity as a magistrate have you ever
directtd your attention to the*encral system of
the Police of the Metropolis ?-1- have.
State the result of yo,a opinion —ll't n y
'nion there is too tittle exertion need :in pre-
vemittg the propagatiqu and growth .ot crimes,
rind. too much exertion used in punishing them
when they arrive at maturity. The children
of. idle, drooken, and dishonest parents, arc
;offered to irdest the streets a ;Slate of tles-
titsatian the Jirst instructions lord ideal these
little creatures. rereiv../. are to procure the 111e46
of bite by begging atilt have seen
ebiblreo nor ;mire that/7 or 8 years oOge initiated
into ;he !ride of nicking of pockets, tioner the eye
of adults, seCTllinglytbeir mothers,.. lo Covent 7
vitrilvo market,,aati,othe: pirces affording parti.4
.tdtelter, and in I,r v;111: botoett anti
itt publie-hone, iii Witite'ehapel, boys and girls
(4.(e itightlVAtt!le iu a st ire of .iirontis.
Coon, dtpril% liy.
~.Thehe born Hod bred thi.e% es I
Itelieve are neverre:claimed, so long athey are
tidrord ; they live by depredation§ the
parenti thus t‘.row their chililrett
on the public, I thiiik the pdblic might to take
teach children in immediate charge. By, separat-
ing theta from their patents and other had eon-
Ittitions, and givitig them sortie cdueation;: they
might soon lie made -useful- members to soCiety,
instead of their edutinuing for life a burden and
8 terror 'to- it. The. impaoity with which small
,!tells are t ottimitteel ,a great encouragement to
crime : the first thefts 4/1' the ehildren just idluiled
hltd of .tfie children of .well-ilh,po,ed persons
dra wu itt by I heir example, take'phice lit too Wider
nit age to tit them for legal prosecution ; thvy rob*
are detected, but ure ; trod' in
the MINI 11!Mze of their education, they are !tyro-
(bleed .to flish-houses., they thine see thieves and
thief-takers sitting not: drinking together on terms
vf. good fellowship ; all, they see and bear is cal-
culated to makelbein believe th6i'may rob with-
out fear of punisionent, tzar, iii their thoughtl,ss
'Course they do not reflect that the forbearance of
the offerers will coot ititte oo Allan owii they
comMit a 401. crime, when they will be sacrificed.
The system of offering great rewards on the per!
petrat ion of it capital offence, and no iffwar,t ts!.r
the diseovery of minorfelonies, I think is radically
bad ; the thief-:akeo are ,thus interemetl in eon.,
coaling and encouraging rising thieves outil their
crimeti arrive at the high e,l growith..lf reit atds.np-
ou a scale were given for the ,dih,COVely ut
• thieves intheir acts, mid for till: apt/felts:o7
siOn of repot ell thieves when found in suspicions flit ti 7
ntions,,the trio:emit hiveingwoubit4.l%entin.it,s,first
fitfernial, be. so exposed to. the . 'taro:sing:of in-
fortn..l2,,. tiod,be of;somincl, difijr.ully and danger,
not to he ~wto th +.4lowing, Itnnot.lit y .611
further assured to petty.thieves,by the gen lid
tlisposition to prosecute ;.,tne trouble. loss. of Gate,
iliMiltnive, and theltreabability that; the indictment
utter ail be defeated 'upon some legal flinhhie,
discoorage.even the public spirited from Ft/set:to-
To lessen the.avoste of tinte.iit ntteoiling pro,
t'et'titit►n ,I,t.hink that lists of th...causes iset_dowo
ftir (11.4, fool monbered, ought, to be fixedarp, in
bail of the. Sessions as roo:n.as.the bills are found ;
that ,bey ought to be taken up M.; egular order,
and be marked off .011 Attu. are disposed of. -I
think that. crimes against the public peace ought
rtb be prosecuted at the p)+blic expente,.an,l be
'conducted. by OffiCer; :this would secure
,the ends of justice, .akid wievent collosion.betwecti
- the= prisoner and ilia pet-sit:contr. • 'fads principle,
—however, is deemed inexpedient, at any nay in.
dietmeots ought be prepared, subpoona*.and
notices served, and advice given,l without fees )
sutler expence to,prosecutors ; and (Willer, their
loss of time and moderate expellees ought to. be
raid for. There may .be danger in off...ring re-
wards otrsimeessful prosecutions, but there can
be none in ntaking the discharge of an important
public dory b trely not a loss to the proseentor.-4
.orrlld the proyerbi;tl uncertainty of the lawt
end secure the ends of jostiee, I think thrringiti
out our Wliole system of jurisprodenre, trite
true interpretation of. points' of -law and rules
of practice should be defined precisely, :and
down scientifically and systematically*
in a work under anihority, instead of liang;.•
ing ore scatterer!, awl varying opinions. Inipu-
-nit), is visibly enjoyed by pick-pockets to 4 very
Beat extent ;
.;;minks of this extensive class of rob-
bet's Impudently l'oOk us itt the face year.
safter
Year, rub us, and 'continue to 'elude Punishment,
One reason of this is, the facility with which
atiera itr.the art pass their booty from one to, an-
other, whereby it is difficult to identify. tbe, thief
r'etai'n the offence is coMpleted : if he be (loser...
ed, it un,ist be while he is in the act, and before
its coniiiiQiioo it is thri. only a misdemeanour,
; the prodoction of two suretieti
in 401. cacti is nsinarly devoted 'sufficient to set the
,felon loose goir. on the public ; he does not ap-
pear to his trial, the reeogrtitatices ire- in due
Course estreated loto the I.l.;:eherpter's hut the pe-
nalties are not sought after for two years,. when,
I have authority to' state, not one iii 500 is recto-
. Tered. Indeed' tlic pic'ent system
,*of dealing
with recognizances is at Mere inOckery : it WS
justice at nattght, it leads only to the super
. &tiding of perjury to other crimes,. A casual
transgressor may pine in gaol for want of sonnies,.
but a professed villain is never at a, loss for'sueh
_'itissistante to set him free; there are men iu abut)»
.slance who make it their bpsineis.tO.Stand:hail for
hire; tliey knvvy utwnitat. tithe. the estrear will :be
it; process, when. they shift their quarters, and are
min est. invenius.'► I was in June, 1814; stir-
ronuad. by a gang of five or six bustlers ttl the
Strand; oot, of these p.itt his 40110 into toy breeCitCS
po.leton:fiere I sei4ed,it, snit with lintel; ditlictil-•
ty scoured the. man, and took twit tt, the Bow-
sweet office ; he Wilt committed tat' (Li iI ;
tended r ten tbtys at the next Ses‘lion, when I at
length beard that 14 Oirei)da ltatl Pitt iu li,id, anti
might not appear until the strereetiing
.Sessioos;
lie appeared no more. I .fnid that to this clay
l" Jew bail, thp
nu roceis is issue(' against ills ,
only penalty iutiictcd was .011 )aPtelf: the