134. New equipment, including an infra-red negative drying cabinet, and a new type of screen which enables motion pictures to be screened in a lighted room, was obtained during the year. This screen has proved valuable as motion pictures are being taken and used in evidence in the more important narcotic selling cases.
135. The Questioned Documents Section examined 1,219 manuscripts and 87 type-written documents compared with 1,921 and 250 in the previous year. From these there were positive identifications in 70 cases. The Parableto- scope comparison projector used for the comparison of single fingerprints has also proved most useful in the comparison of documents.
Criminal Records Office
136. This office consists of several interdependent sections responsible for the collation and dissemination of information in connection with criminals and their activities. Comprehensive indices are maintained either in visual form or on punch cards, of wanted and missing persons, cars, and other property which has come to police notice. The office is also responsible for the compilation and publication of police gazettes, reward notices, and press releases relating to criminal matters.
137. There were 517 photographic identification parades conducted during the year, and as a result of checks on all indices maintained, 54 cases were cleared up resulting in the arrest of 29 criminals.
138. The Statistics Office, under an Executive Officer publishes a monthly analysis of serious crime, in addition to which it maintains graphs and charts on most categories or groups of crime thereby enabling current trends to be plotted.
139. The first phase in the re-organization of criminal records has been completed, and a comprehensive dossier now exists in respect of all
persons convicted of selected serious crimes. Phase two, which is expected to take 5 years to complete, is now underway, and when completed all persons convicted of offences in which fingerprints are taken will be on record in the C.R.O.
140. The increase in crime files during the year made additional demands on the very limited filing space and in order to cope with this the microfilming programme has been advanced to include files which are 6 years old.
Prevention of Crime Office
141. This office consists of the Deportation, Police Supervision and Vetting Sections and the Interpol Sub-Bureau.
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