Inexpensive Burglar Alarm Devices for Detection of Thefts and Petty Thefts
| Date | 01 January 1958 |
| Author | James K. McLellan |
| Published date | 01 January 1958 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5803100106 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Devices
and
INEXPENSIVE
BURGLAR
ALARM DEVICES 39
The district surrounding Woodstock and neighbouring Eastwood
has since prospered into a flourishing farming country and its indus-
trious people supply dairy produce for markets near
and
far. There,
one would expect that the story just told would be a familiar
one-
that the colourful escapades of
"Lord
Somerset" had even perhaps
been transformed into a folk tale and thus perpetuated. But such is
not the case and our attention was first drawn to the story by an
American reader through copies of reports from a long extinct weekly,
the Saturday Globe of Utica, N.Y. Mute Blenheim swamp guards its
secret well, and perhaps there are those now living on its very threshold
who have never heard of the event, once held to be the most sensational
crime in Canadian criminal history.
Inexpensive
Burglar
Alarm
for
Detection of
Thefts
Petty
Thefts
By
CHIEF
INSPECTOR
JAMES K.
McLELLAN
City of Glasgow Police
UNDOUBTED LY the best method to detect crimes of theft is to
have observations taken so that the thieves can be caught in
the act of stealing, but man-powershortage makes this method imprac-
tical in all but the most serious cases. Any device or method of approach
which obviates or minimises the use of watchers is, therefore, a most
valuable aid to police work. Many articles have been written on this
subject, e.g. "Aids to Observations," The Police Journal, 1954, page 294.
The writer's use of burglar alarm devices originated a few years ago
in connection with a case of recurring thefts in a warehouse.
It
was
obvious that these crimes were being committed by one of the em-
ployees but the goods which were being stolen could have been handled
by other members of the staff and, in such circumstances, the use of
visible or fluorescent powders would only have caused confusion.
It
was decided that if some alarm system could be installed whereby
the manager received a signal whenever certain vulnerable goods were
touched he could then watch discreetly for the dishonest act.
The ordinary burglar alarm consists of two circuits connected by a
relay, circuit one remaining live till some act of the intruder breaks it
when circuit two comes into operation and gives warning.
It
was felt
that
if certain selected goods were made
part
of circuit one in such a
way that any movement of them relayed a warning to the manager,
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