Review: Criminal Investigation
| Published date | 01 July 1934 |
| Date | 01 July 1934 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X3400700315 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
REVIEWS
CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION.
By DR.
HANS
GROSS,
adapted by John
&J. Collyer Adam, and edited by Norman Kendal, C.B.E.
Third
Edition 1934. (Sweet and Maxwell.)
21S.
PROFESSOR
HANS
GROSS
of Prague in his monumental work on criminal
investigation rendered invaluable assistance to the police service by clearly
indicating how science can be applied in the detection of crime.
The
im-
portance of his work cannot be exaggerated and it is recognized as an in-
dispensable work of reference by those who are interested in the scientific
principles applicable in dealing with criminal problems. We therefore
welcome the appearance of the third edition which has been carefully edited
by Mr. Norman Kendal, Assistant Commissioner, C.LD., Metropolitan
Police, who, with the assistance of several well-known experts, has brought
the book up to date.
The
work is designed to be a working handbook for all engaged or
interested in criminal investigation; to show how crime is to be investigated
and to be a book of ' first aid ' to the detective to enable him to gain that
assistance from specialists which otherwise might not be obtainable. So
wrote Mr. J. Collyer Adam in his introduction to the second edition in
1924, and so the book remains to-day,
but
to a much greater extent.
From a book of this type, dealing with many subjects each worthy of
a separate treatise, it would be possible to select a few particular subjects
and treat them either supplementarily or critically,
but
such method of
treatment would not be useful to the readers of this Journal.
The
reader of a review naturally wishes to ascertain what the book is
about and whether it isworth his while to read it.
The
answer to the second
question is definitely in the affirmative and the following synopsis briefly
indicates the wide range of useful and interesting information contained in
the work.
Part I deals with matters of a general nature.
The
first chapter contains pertinent remarks on the duties, qualifications
and procedure in work of the officer engaged in the investigation of crime
and lays stress on the necessity for absolute exactness and accuracy of work.
Then
forty-eight pages follow,devoted to the considerations necessary in the
examination of witnesses, mentioning the necessity for questioning freely
and recording every reply and for paying attention to small details.
Chapter 3 tells what should be done at the scene of a
crime;
how the
place should be described; how search must be made for hidden objects ;
and the investigating officer is reminded
that'
only too often he must seek
the strongest proof in the smallest details.'
376
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