Review: The Crime of Punishment
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X3100400321 |
| Date | 01 July 1931 |
| Published date | 01 July 1931 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
474
THE POLICE JOURNAL
the story of an elaborately planned affray between aclown and a negro staged
during the progress of the Psychology Congress at Gottingen, rehearsed before-
hand and photographed, with the express object of testing the value of the
evidence of eye-witnesses. Of forty reports on the incident returned at the
request of the President only six were even approximately accurate. Twenty-
four contained gross errors as to material facts, while ten were incorrect in all
essentials.
Mr.
Rhodes draws a clear distinction between
'expert
opinion'
and
scientific evidence of rigid fact, pointing out the pitfalls which often exist in
the former.
The
book deserves the perusal of all police officers, particularly those
inclined to underrate the value of scientific aids to detection.
DETECTIVE
DAYS. By
FREDERICK
PORTER
WENSLEY.
12S.
6d. net.
(Cassell &Co. Ltd., London, Toronto, Melbourne and Sydney.)
THIS book, being the personal narrative of the author's forty years' service in
the London Metropolitan Police, cannot fail to be interesting to police
officers, and a general public, over-fed with detective fiction, should appreci-
ate the opportunity of learning from so eminent an authority how the real life
detective sets about his job.
In
modest and straight manner
Mr.
Wensley traces his own career from
its commencement as a patrol constable in Lambeth to its termination in
the chair of Chief Constable of the C.I.D. at New Scotland Yard.
'Mter
more than forty years,' writes
Mr.
Wensley, ' I still do not know what the
public expects from a detective,' and he is doubtless quite justified in adding,
, I am pretty well sure that the public does not know itself.'
In
addition to detailed accounts of some of his most sensational cases the
book contains many sound observations on such matters as alleged third
degree methods, capital punishment, the habits and character of criminals,
and the way to treat them.
Mr.
Wensley claims to have
seen'
every scientifical and mechanical aid
the wit of man can devise placed at the service of the detective,' and thinks
there is ' perhaps a danger, in one way, of over-estimating the value of these
things.' He holds
that'
the only real
method'
of stamping out crime is
, to employ detectives who know rogues by direct contact, know their habits,
their ways of thought, their motives, and above all know their friends and
associates.'
It
will be readily admitted that this is the first essential,
but
many may question whether in modern days it is of itself sufficient.
Mr.
Wensley recognizes the value of mechanical aids in his appreciation of the
Flying Squad, which he considers' the first step to a nation-wide detective
service.' On the subject of this 'nation-wide detective service' many
readers might have liked to see his views elaborated.
In
one or two places there is a little obscurity of meaning; for instance,
the description of a swindle known as ' ringing the
changes'
(p. 147) hardly
makes the trick quite clear to those not already acquainted with it.
THE
CRIME
OF
PUNISHMENT.
By
MARGARET
WILSON.
(Jonathan
Cape, Ltd.) Price
lOS.
6d.
, THE more things improve the louder become the exclamations about their
badness,' 1wrote Herbert Spencer in
1892,
and this book is an example of
that truth.
For the welfare of offenders is more studied now than probably ever
1A Plea for Liberty, p.
I.
To continue reading
Request your trial