Aalten, 30 June 1854 — Recently, four armed Prussian farmers handed over to the police here two men of a most unfavourable appearance. They had been guilty of begging in Prussia and also on our territory, in the rural district of Haart, while accompanying their begging with pressing demands.
Our cantonal judge apparently saw no grounds for sending them to Zutphen, but handed them over to the police commissioner in Winterswijk, who immediately had them escorted across the border because they said they came from Vreden in Prussia. This at once gave them the opportunity to enter our territory again at another point.
It is regrettable that judges sometimes act with such leniency. This case shows why: according to reports, these men were in fact escaped thieves from Prussia who had already been listed in the police bulletin. The public prosecutor at the Zutphen court, who was investigating the matter, is said to have expressed regret that the men had not been sent to him.
Leniency among superiors naturally influences their subordinates. Our police officers, who are not among the bravest or most diligent, have in recent years failed to catch the perpetrators of either lesser or more serious offences. They recently showed once again how quickly their zeal can fade. Sent out with a Prussian police officer to look for an escaped cattle thief from Bocholt, they left the cantonal judge’s house in great haste and apparent enthusiasm — only to be found a few moments later in a public house, having allowed the thief to continue on his way. He too was never caught.
Our hunting inspector, J.S. Schaars Prins, an extraordinary constable, has already tracked down and caught many offenders during his short time in office. This diligent man therefore deserves praise, and we hope his zeal will have a good influence on the other police officers and inspire them to follow his example.