Review: Criminal Investigation
| Published date | 01 April 1950 |
| Date | 01 April 1950 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002201835001400203 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
144
THE
JOURNAL
OF
CRIMINAL LAW
identity of
the
murderer would therefore be bound to be
known
and
his name could be inserted in
the
count charging
the
accessory.
With
the
abolition of this old rule in 1861
the
identity of
the
principal offender became unimportant
provided
that
the
jury
were convinced
that
such
an
offence
had
been committed
by
someone.
Review
CRIMINAL
!NVSSTIGATION,
by DR.
HANS
GROSS.
Fourth
Edition;
Edited by
RONALD
MARTIN
Hows,
M.C., Barrister-at-Law, Assistant
Commissioner, Metropolitan Police. (Sweet &Maxwell
Ltd.;
Price
£1 7s. 6d. Net.)
Mr. R. M. Howe,
the
able head of
the
Criminal Investigation Depart-
ment
at
New Scotland Yard, has done his work well: this new edition
of a classic work has
not
only been largely rewritten in
the
light of modern
methods of criminal investigation,
but
agreat deal of
the
original
matter
-which
was quite
out
of
date
and dealt largely with Continental con-
ditions
and
methods-has
been suppressed.
Yet
the
book retains its
original form, and much of
the
sound and fundamental advice
~ven.
by
the
great Dr. Hans Gross is retained and has lost none of its original force.
Achapter on
the
investigation of road accidents
has
been added.
Each
of the sixteen chapters
is
devoted to a particular aspect of
the
investigation of crime, such as
the
examination of witnesses and accused,
inspection of the scene of
the
crime, the
part
played by
the
scientific
expert, fingerprints and footprints, ballistics,
the
methods of criminals,
the
investigation of arson, etc. Besides being a valuable book of refer-
ence
it
is very readable and is amply illustrated
both
by
new photographs
and
drawings and by details of cases.
But
it
contains little or no law,
the
author assuming
that
the
reader will be well versed in law
and
pro-
cedure before he embarks on criminal investigation.
It
is doubtful whether much of
the
information here given can be
acquired elsewhere
than
by long practical experience;
it
is certainly
not
available in any other one volume. Hence
the
book will be of consider-
able value to those who practise
at
the
criminal bar.
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