Automation
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5703000111 |
| Published date | 01 January 1957 |
| Author | T. J. Clogger |
| Date | 01 January 1957 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
60
THE
POLICE
JOURNAL
The Suspicious. "Say
that
again
....
"
"If
you mean
....
"
"I'm
not
clear what you're getting at
....
" Weighs up each question at con-
siderable length before replying. Is unwilling to admit that Christmas
Day always falls on December 25th.
The Nervous. Addicted to mannerisms such as stroking side of nose
or unexpectedly popping
out
false teeth. Flushes,
and
sweats visibly
like racehorses in paddock before race.
The Cunning. In manner rather than in
words-"Ah
ha, I know the
answer to that one
....
"
"I
wasn't born yesterday
....
" Is a near
relation to The Suspicious, but implies he's a clever fellow, which
The Suspicious dare not.
The Juvenile. Will answer anything you want,
and
anything you
don't. Fatally susceptible to suggestion.
"He
had a moustache."
"No,
he was clean shaven." "Yes, he had a big black beard,."
The Haranguer. Takes advantage of occupancy
of
witness box
to address Court on quite inapplicable topics.
"Why
don't
the Police
and/or the Magistrates and/or the Council do this or
that?"
The Bad Memory. Changes every fact contained in his statement
with a disarming smile,
and
implies that
everyone
else is a liar.
Some Police Witnesses. Trained and accustomed to Court atmosphere,
but vary. The quick speaker, the slow speaker, the misser of essential
points, the occasional giver of wrong evidence by mixing up vehicle
registration numbers and dates in his notebook, the young and nervous,
and
the nervous-but-determined-not-to-show-it.
The Perfect Witness. Probably does not exist, unless he be the dead
one who is unable to lie or err, thanks to modern pathological investi-
gation, about the position of the dagger in his back, the approximate
time of death and the cause of death. Has also the supreme advantage
of being silent. Automation
By
A/SUPERINTENDENT
T. J. CLOGGER,
Tanganyika Police.
EVERY year the Police Force had been getting smaller and smaller
as automation progressed, until on this March night of the year
1984 the night shift for policing the teeming metropolis of Nairobi
consisted of four policemen, a senior police officer and twelve police
dogs. But there were no complaints to Legco, no letters in the Press
from "harassed citizen" that the City was badly policed. On the
contrary, despite the tiny force, watch and ward was not 99·5 per cent
efficient,
but
100 per cent efficient. In this year of 1984, the battle
against the criminal had been almost won and few and far between
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