1937-12-15 — Page 20

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, WEDNESDAY, December 15, 1937.

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WEDNESDAY, December 15, 1937.

HONGKONG SECURITY

FINGERPRINTS

By

ALFRED J.

ANGEL

In the House of Commons recently

Mr. de la Bere (Evesham) asked the

Home Secretary "whether he is pre-

pared to consider a scheme for the

national registration of finger-prints throughout the country, with a view to storing them; thus making it easier

for the police to trace persons suffering from loss of memory."

INGER -PRINT everybody!

F"

Again the suggestion that the fingerprints of every person in the country should be taken and registered is being

made.

Advocates for universal regis- serious attempts tration declare that if such were appear to have been made to the case there would never be

classify the im In the House of Commons' any doubts regarding, the iden-

pressions. Lieutenant-Commander R. T. H. tity of persons found dead, or Fletcher, R.N, (Retired), now, a

others suffering from loss of Early in the century, Pur- to-day, which is the envy of the Further grouping followed, 9104--The greatest mistake in my life-Waltz

Labour member, recently asked memory, and that the work of kenje, a young and struggling world.

till it is possible under his pre- In an Old Cathedral Town--F.T.

Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for the police in those particular practitioner, produced a learned

During the last 40 years Scot- sunt scheme to have as many as 9105-Too Marvelous for words-F.T.......jay Wilbur's Orch. Defence, whether he was satis- spheres would be considerably treatise on the "marvellous land Yard officers have develop 16,000,000 sub groups-any one

fied that the British forces in lightened and simplified.

groupings and curvings of the ed the scheme which to-day en- of which can be turned up with- Some foreign countries al- minute furrows associated with ables a Colonial police force to in a few minutes by the card in- 9109-In a little French Casino.... Primo Scala Accordian Band. Hongkong were sufficient for

the defence of the Colony, hav-ready have comprehensive the organ of touch." His audi- Will you remember, ("Maytime"),

arrest a man in the morning and dex system. ing regard to the existing, state'finger-print registration systems ence listened-bored. Later

by transmitting his finger-prints To the finger-print expert it is of affairs in the Far East, for the law-abiding as well as the Purkenje became Professor of in Yard code to London, receive an easy matter. He receives, which everyone by now must criminal population, but in Great Physiology at. Breslau.

the man's criminal record (it say, from the detective chief at realise is highly explosive. The Britain the scheme only regis- Bertillon, the French scien- any) within a few hours. Whipplewell an impression of a naval. Member also asked when ters "bad men."

tist, is often wrongly given the

For provincial forces replies finger found on a scene was the last joint inquiry by

credit for originating the mo- are dispatched within half an heavy burglary. representatives of the three ser-

As far back as 200 B.C. the dern system of finger-printing hour of receipt of impressions- .Joe Peterson. vices, Navy, Army and Air Chinese had a system of finger- though what he actually did was and this from a collection of Force, into the condition of the printing, but it was not until the to use finger impressions-crude 600,000 prints. No fewer than defences of Hongkong. Such nineteenth century that any and uncertain--to strengthen 24,000 criminals are caught each questions, it would seem, are

the anthropometrical system of year by the system. fairly vital ones to British

identification of which he was the father.

9110 The Merry-Go-Round broke down

Where are you?

9112-Melodies of the Month.

9128-Moon at Soat-Fox Trot

Let us be swacthearts over again.

Primo Scala Accordian Band.

No. 6

.Len Green.

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In an Old Cathedral Town.

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19 DECEMBER 1230 BWFO 6789101112 12345 13141516171819 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

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*

**

Finger-prints came

combination,

of a

The Yard man, from his train-" ing and experience, decides it be- longs to a left fore-finger.

On a specially printed-card-he- Generally speaking, registrą people; and they particularly estimate, to some extent, the

notes down in proper sequence tion and classification are based interest the inhabitants of this state of security of the British

the characteristics of the print By Bertillon's system mea- on formulae respecting patterns Far Eastern posscasions. But Chater Road. Colony. But the answers are

surements and records of dif- and characteristics shown by all-type, core, etc., placing the more important still.

all such estimates, it would Sir

ferent parts of the bony struc- the ten digits in

necessary symbols in the mar Thomas' answer was disappoint- seem, must be purely relative;

gin to guide him in his search. ing in that it did not go far governed, in other words, by ture of the body were recorded but of recent years experts at

He is able to "read" the print enough. He said that defended the varying strength of potentini in such order as to form a per- the Yard have produced, and

a Morse enemies. It is obvious that manent word picture of the par- proved effective, a perfect system in the same way as ports overseas were, kept con- when Hongkong's security is ticular individual, and the finger- of

operator reduces his combina- indentification by single stantly under review by an under consideration at such

tions of dots and dashes to a times as this the striking force print was an adjunct to these finger-prints only (and not ten). appropriate sub-committee of the

legible message. of the Japanese is the essential measurements. Imperial Defence Committee on part of the equation. It is

Next, to the card index with which all three services were equally apparent that, left to

This modern method enables his written formulae. A few: its own devices, Hongkong represented. It must be sup-

to Eng police officers who secure a soli- only are necessary to tell him could not hope to resist for posed that Sir Thomas implied many weeks the combined naval. lund from India. The British tary impression of one finger- whether the Whipplewell print that the authorities are satisfied air and land strength of a major police authorities, impressed or only a smudge-at the scene belongs to a man with a criminal with the Hongkong defence power. Only with a strong with news from that country, of a crime to refer immediately record. position, because Lieutenant- naval and flying force operating

in this vicinity and keeping the where the scheme of finger- to the criminal records of house- Never in the course of firiger- Commander Fletcher did not Colony's lines of communication printing had been developed breakers, burglars and men en print history has it been proved gaged on similar crime, because that two persons have the same preas for a further answer. intact could it be said that

among the illiterate and the single finger-print system finger-prints; even twins have But the implied meaning is not there existed a real guarantee ignorant natives (to their dis- was designed for the especial different combinations of the

of safety. There will be some rendily seen. The Labour mem- who question the advisability of advantage), adopted a tentative benefit of men of those classes. grainings on the fingers. ber is apparently not quite sure sending such ships as Hood and scheme in 1895, only to discover It has been proved time and Experts declare that the odds that the Government's feeling Repulse, Barham and Malaya that lack of authoritative data, ugain that a burglar always re- against finding an exact dupli-

out adequate cruiser and des-militated against success. The burglary, and seldom breaks 64,000,000,000 to one! He is suggesting that troyer strength to accompany world was not kind to these early away and becomes a bandit.

Clumsy attempts to destroy the battle cruisers Hood and them, and without essential sub- pioneers.

force and air the battleships marine Repulse and

Supt. Harry Battley, Scotland the patterns on finger-tops have Sir Francis Galton and Sir Yard's finger-print chief, is the always failed. Crooks, knowing Malaya and Barham be sent into plementary units to make of a

advanced the danger to themselves of the the Far East, presumably to be defensive contingent more than Edward Henry, who later be- originator of this

a "show force." It is improb-came Commissioner of the Me- scheme and began his "Single system, have, immediately after able that Lieutenant-Comman- tropolitan Police, were in the Finger-print Collection" by tak arrest, mutilated their finger- There is no deep secret about der Fletcher's suggestion will main responsible for fostering ing from the Yard's comprehen- tips to destroy the graining, but meet with very much en the science in England, and it sive collection of crooks the im- in every case when the wounds Hongkong's defences. Anyone thusiasm, and it is doubtful if was the latter who made the pressions of all the ten digits of have healed the papillary ridgca who cares to inquire can dis-even the "landlubber" popula-urat serious attempt to classify all men recorded in the "break- have remained unimpaired. A ing and entering" and kindred Japanese doctor experimented on himself to the extent of classes. cover how many submarines are' tion would be much reassured the prints.

by the presence of these vast

pumice-atoning the tips of his based on this port, how many fighting craft here-though

With these impressions he fingers till he had obliterated the hours' steaming distance, what naval weapons of their day four

destroy the characteristic ridges cruisers are on the station, and because of the enormous odda arches, whorls and composites, collections, one for each digit.

that they would be obliged to and then sub-divided the groups

Under each of these ho classi. and the pattern returned exactly 86 on. Nor is there any attempt face in any major conflict in the into some thousands of types, fled the prints into sections in

as before, made to suppress information Pacific. And it is only a major! To this day his main headings the following order: Arches, Finger-prints form an infalll- tented arches, radial loops, ulnar ble, unmistakeable and per- From these small beginnings loops, whorls, twinned loops, manent record of identity--and in Hongkong and Shanghal fears in the least. We are has grown the amazing and lateral pocket loops, composites, as such each one has its own From such facts it la possible to armed against all patty enemies. efficient system of Scotland Yard accidentala and scarred prints, particular tale to tell,

GORDON'S

OF COURSE

of security is justified, in any to this part of the world with money and experienced operators mains true to his "trade" of,cate anywhere in the world aro

event.

based on Hongkong.

com-

To denote the different types

destroyers are within so many they are admittedly the greatest he separated his prints under

main headings, doops, started a series of 10 distinct pattern, but his wounds did not

regarding the numbers of troops conflict in which Britain might persist.

become involved that Hongkong!

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