4GG Publication of Police Reports. [May, 



ai'ises in a thickly-peopled country like France or England, differs 

 essentially, it should be observed, from the freebooter who harasses an 

 open territory like that of Spain or Italy. The first is a felonious 

 house-cur, or cat, who steals at opportunity, but remains upon the spot 

 always afterwards to escape suspicion ; the last is a wolf or fox who 

 snatches his prey by stealth or violence ; but goes aivaij alwaj'S — his 

 trust is in the distance — to devour it. The desideratum, as regards 

 dealing with each of these characters, is materially different. The 

 Italian robber combats and flies ; the objects are two, to subdue and 

 to overtake him. The English rogue merely retreats into the densest 

 part of the crowd which he has plundered : when detected, he bows 

 and submits ; the object is to Icnoxi} him. In the first case, what 

 we want is hands ; in the last, nothing needs assistance but our eyes. 

 Let the speculator once be known, and he has no ground letl to ti;ead 

 upon : he can cheat no one (for all are prepared) ; and the first upon 

 whom he tries the experiment calls a constable, and cuts short his reign 

 for ever. ' 



Then, assuming that this knowledge, as to what has been committed, 

 or may be expected, is the thing that we want — (and, either for the 

 discovery of criminals or the pi-evention of crime, in a country like this, 

 there can be no other engine ever half so powerful) ; if it be this infor- 

 mation which M'c want, and we had to choose the means from out of 

 a thousand projects, which should most certainly, and most speedily, 

 convey it to all society ; if we had to provide a scheme without regard to 

 expense, which should put every man upon his guard as if by telegraph ; 

 which within thirty hours after the commission of any offence in London 

 should make that offence public, with all its details (probably with a 

 full description of the culprit, his quality, name, and person), all oyer 

 the kingdom ; if we had to establish a system of this description without 

 any regard to the greatness of public expense, could ^ve hit upon 

 any scheme so effective as that of the daily police report, which is got 

 Avithout any expense to the public at all ? 



For when we speak of transmitting this intelligence within the 

 space of thirty hours, it must be remembered that, over more than 

 one half of England, it is conveyed now in less than half the time. 

 At two o'clock in the afternoon on one day, a swindler, or a 

 forger, or an embezzler, is carried to a London police office, or in- 

 formation is given of such a personage by some one whom he has 

 defrauded : by five o'clock on that same day an account of the whole 

 case, full and in print, is in the hands of every man who reads a 

 newspaper, throughout the metropolis ; and by eleven on the next 

 morning, that account is in Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich, in half 

 of the great commercial cities, and at two-thirds of the sea-port towns 

 in the kingdom. Let tlie offender escape at the very instant his 

 examination is over ; and, unless he can travel with four horses, in eight 

 hours, let him take v.hat direction he will, the account of his offence 

 passes him on the road, and goes before him. Let him take what con- 

 veyance he will ; go into what house of public entertainment, how 

 or where he will ; ten to one but the virtual warrant for his apprehension, 

 the eternal newspaper, with his story and description in it, stares him in 

 the face. Here is the identical proclamation given generally, ivhich 

 Government affords upon very pressing occasions. Here is all the 

 advantage secured, which (as regards police) can be derived from the 

 French system of surveillance and espionage, without any of that dan- 



