"The Great Safe Robbery"

On Tuesday last a large contingent of uniformed and plain-clothes police swarmed all over and around tho Trades Hall, accompanied by itchy-fingered [unclear: oceivers] and a character who refrained from saying anything in the vain hope that he wouldn't be detected as a Scotland Yard [unclear: slouth].

When Freezing worker Secretary Sid Giles rightly refused to give "Call-me-Dave" Patterson the keys to the Union's safe, the coppers called a lock-smith, and five happy hours were spent in drilling holes in the safe. (A couple of unaccountable power failures held up proceedings a little)

We understand that tho police, Receivers etc, wish to express their thanks to the freezing workers present who made their long stay such a pleasant one.

On this occasion the police were actually [unclear: enuipted] with that old-fashioned commodity, a search warrant, but habit dies hard, and they tried to stretch a warrant to search premises into one to search persons.

Just what the police were looking for is a mystery, and from their actions and behaviour will probably remain so as far as normally-minded people are concerned.

While this episode had its lighter side, it also points' a serious warning to the wide power a without discrimination or accounting that the police possess, and their attitude shows' that they now look upon those powers as a normal right.