Evening star., 1936-03-15
BY C. PATRICK THOMPSON.

- bergh family. fleeing from
America to ''the worlds most
IL law-abiding state" British Of
fetal crime statisticians announced
steep upturn In crime. while the
underworld staged its first American
type en-for-a-ride murder.
Probing this phenomenon, one finds
that as Britain grows steadily safer
and more orderly, lawlessness within
its coasts increases. A glance at this
island paradox puts spotlight on the
q. extraordinary changing crime phenom-
ens the world over.
The cost of maintaining the first
line defense against the weak. vicious
and warped members of society is
rising in all civilized countries as
steadily as the cost of assuring the
security of the state against the ex-
ternal aggresSor. Police, prisons and
reformatory schools cost Britain an
aggregate of S125 900 900 a year now.
In addition. the revenue department
and the great insurance organizations
maintain their own little Scotland
Yards for anti-crime work
Yet the number of persons found
guilty in British courts has, for the
f1rst time, crossed the 100000 mark
Undetected crime is running as high
as so per cent of the total cases of
crime against property. The prisons
are receiving 40 900 new inmates every
year.
One in 80 a Criminal.
At glance, the statistics show one
IN every 80 of the population GRIM
tnal. But if you get 'pinched" for
failing to take out dog license or
for speeding or for selling lamb
chop on Sunday, you are, legally, a
criminal, and as such you go to swell
the crime totals.
About nine-tenths of the total crime
list is accounted for by persons guilty
Of such minor offenses. In short, more
than so per cent of Britain's increas-
ing criminality can be notched up
against the traffic laws, revenue laws
Gear licenses, dog licenses, etc. and
the law against Sunday trading.
Only about IL per cent of the whole
603,615 cases is accountable to serious
offenSes such as murder and assault
to rape. child stealing, bigamy, fraud,
forgery and suicide, and prison COM
mitmentS are down $4,000 since 1929
There are 80 "indictable" offenses
4 IN Britain-crimes of a serious ma
ture. These are divisible again into
anything from to 20 different sorts
Of offense. You can commit an Of
fense under the head of "other frauds"
in % separate and distinct ways
ranging from obtaining credit by false
pretenses to concealing treasure trove,
cheating, pretending to use witchcraft
and fraudulently stamping anchors
and chain cables. You can mali
ciously injure" in II ways, sending
letters Threatening to burn or destroy
property being one.
Murder Guilt Procedure.
Murder is one of the few things in
the list that is just plain murder, ir-
respective of how, when. where and in
what manner one happens to do it.
When the jury foreman says guilty"
the scarlet-robed judge sits silent while
his clerk plants the black cap "a
piece Of black cloth) on top of his
white wig. Then, fixing a dispas-
Eionate gaze on the prisoner between
warders in the dock, he informs him
that, as he has willfully taken the life
OF fellow creature. he must pay the
full penalty, and "be hanged by the
neck until you are dead" Justice
pauses, and then adds, And may God
have mercy upon your SOUL"
1t Is a recognized axiom among
criminologists that a high degree of
certainty Of detection and arrest, fol-
lowed by swift conviction and execu-
ton, restraints the potential murderer
In every country. Maybe this explains
why murders in Britain seldom exceed
100 year. In the last year under re-
view there were SO cases of murder of
1lO persons aged l year or more,
against rs and SO the previous year.
In Britain the murderer is usually
involved in crime of passion or a
domestic drama, or he is mad OF the
80 aforesaid cases of murder Al mur-
dererS or suspects committed suicide
before they could be arrested. It hap
pens every year in about the same
proportion. There were So arrests. Of
those SO, 2 managed to commit sui
eide and Is were released. That left
Al, and Of these, was found insane
before trial, IS insane on arraignment
and 16 guilty, but insane.
ii Were Executed.
We are left with only 10 out of the
original SO. Eleven of these we're ex.
cuted and subsequently had their
death sentences commuted to penal
servitude for life owing to extenuat-
ing circumstances. In the previous
wear the Oh
The fact that the sentence of hang
Ing may not be carried out represents
the genius of the Englishman for COM
promise. He applauds the law provid-
ing the death sentence for all mur-
derers, but when he feels it just and
necessary, he circrmvents that simple
law through the prerogative of mercy
Ohe home secretary exercises that in |
practice. the King in theory, rather |
than complicate end weaken the law |
by formal distinctions of degree The |
person who kills thus knows that if |
arrested, tried and found guilty with
out extensuating circumstances, he |
will be marched to the scaffold.
We thus find that cold -blooded, de- |
hberate murder-aS distinct from the |
murder Of her infant committed by a
dazed or desperate mother, or killing
by maniac or some homicidal half |
wits exceedingly rare in Britain. |
HansingS in a good year are as low as
six, and in bad year seldom higher
than dozen. And few murderers es-
cape. The acquittal of IS in the last |
year does not mean that as many des-
perate criminals are at large, ready to
&nl again. Five of the victims of those
murderers were expectant mothers,
who died following illegal operations
(you are murderer if you undertake
such an operation and your patient
dies), and four more we're mothers who
had killed their illegitimate children.