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Tracking Crime.
London’s Methods.
•*"
Flashlight Signal System
rPHE City of London is shortly to bo
-*• surrounded by an invisible electric
wall, which will at a minute’s notice
close, by police cordons, all entrances
to and exits from the city.
"Smash and grab” men, motor
bandits, and criminals of all kinds will
find all avenues of escape barred to
them within sixty seconds of the dis
covery of their crimes. It will be im
possible for a "wanted” vehicle to pass
the city boundaries, and it will be ex
tremely difficult even for individuals
to escape, since, in cases of great em
ergency, even public transport vehicles
could be inspected.
Fifty-two electric signals operated
simultaneously will put the entire city
police force on the alert. Each of these
red signal lamps will be fixed promin
ently on top of the present police am
bulance telephone call boxes, and the
alarm will be given by flashing the
lights from a central control board at
city police headquarters in Old Jewry.
Police officers on seeing the flashing
lights will go at once to the telephones
and receive a description of the
vehicle to be stopped, men to be ar
rested, or other special orders. The
Post Office is co-operating with the
police in devising the technical equip- '
ment necessary for the operation of j
the new warning system.
This new plan to defeat criminals
was revealed by Sir - Hugh Turnbull,
Commissioner of Police for the City |
of London, who recently returned from
a visit to the United States, Where he
studied Transatlantic police methods.
The system was devised by Sir Hugh
before he went to America, and noth
ing he has seen there has been an :
improvement on it. “It will mean,”
he said, “that in the case of a motor
bandit raid a policeman telephones
headquarters, and within a few sec-_
onds the 52 lights flash, and instruc
tions are given to all police on duty
at the city boundaries.”
The city will, as soon as the system
is in operation early this year, * be
come a trap, easy for criminals to
enter, but from which escape will be
almost impossible.
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