Theft on the High Seas
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6503801003 |
| Date | 01 October 1965 |
| Published date | 01 October 1965 |
| Author | Joseph Ferrand |
| Subject Matter | Article |
JOSEPlI FERRAN})
Chief Constable
of
Thorold, Ontario, formerly
of
the
Liverpool City Police
THEFT
ON
THE
HIGH
SEAS
On September 6, 1949,the M/V Apapa, one of the Elder Dempster
Steamship Company boats, was tied up in the south end docks of
Liverpool in the process of being loaded with goods for the West
Coast of Africa. Included in the ship's cargo was a consignment of
10,000one-pound West Coast of Africa bank notes consigned to the
bank of British West Africa. The currency was contained in 70
cases, each case being bound with wire, sealed and
put
in the ship's
strong room. The strong room was an inner room of the vault
which was situated in the ship's hold and its door, like that of the
strong room, was of steel. After the bullion had been placed in the
strong room and that door locked and sealed then the outer door
to the vault was also locked and sealed.
The notes were manufactured by a London firm and transported
in cases from the firm's premises bytruck to Euston station, London,
and thence by train to Lime Street station, Liverpool, then by truck
to the south end docks where the Apapa lay.
The
Crime
Discovered
The following day the vessel sailed for West Africa. During the
voyage the seals on the outer door of the vault and lock were
checked daily. When the ship arrived at Takoradi the bullion cases
were unloaded and sent to a bank at Sekondi where they were to
remain for six months before circulation. Whilst the cases were
being unloaded from the truck and taken into the bank, one of the
carriers noticed that the case he was carrying was different in weight
from the others and reported this to the manager of the bank. On
examination of this case it was found that the wires binding it had
been skilfully cut but that the seal had not been interfered with.
On further examination they found that instead of the case con-
taining £1 notes, it was filled with paper.
Meanwhile the ship had sailed to Lagos. News of the theft was
immediately radio'd to the captain of the vessel and he, together
with a passenger, who was a head of the C.LD. on the West Coast
of Africa, returning home after a holiday in England, went down
into the hold and examined the vault and strong room doors, which
had in the meantime been relocked and sealed. They found that the
October 1965 462
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