Mr. G. J. Symons writes to Monday's Times that London
is quite an unsafe place in which to show evidence of having a good watch, at least as regards those quieter thoroughfares where it is impossible to have police always on the look-out. He was robbed at 5.35 p.m. near the Camden Road, when a well-dressed young man came up and deliberately said, " I must have your watch," which he snatched. Mr. Symons pur- suing him and raising the cry of " Stop thief !" was obstructed by five or six men of the same band, who tried to trip him up, and eventually succeeded in so doing, when they, of course, went off to share the booty. Clearly only a very large increase of the police force could prevent such outrages as this. Not very long ago there was a vindictive murder,— though the victim was not the victim intended,—in the same neighbourhood, and there must obviously be societies of criminals in a decent position of life, who agree to help each other in committing the lesser kind of crimes. Would not the offer of a sufficient reward to any informer break up such an association ?
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