Shanghai, Mar. 11. F[PHE existence of gambling establishments in the Western area abutting on extra-Settlement roads outside the jurisdiction of the Municipal Police and the presence of semi political and other organizations functioning under various guises gave considerable encouragement to the criminal fraternity and accounted for the increase of crime in the Settlement,, This was brought out in the third and concluding article of the 1940 annual report of the Municipal Police Force which was released, yesterday for publica; tion, According to police records the jure of gambling dens was a decided incentive to crime particwarly misappropriation, embezzlement and fraud, the proceeds of which were invariably: dissipated at the gaming tables. Crime ranging from murder to petty
last year with the outside areas as: extortion Inezeased In the Settlement abate or asylum from: which the gangsters operated, the report stated. The year under review showed an increase of 3,133 crime cases over the 1939 figures and an increase of 2,495 arrests, The crime situation "was aggravated last year by economic dis~ tress among. the lower and middle lasses of Chinese due partly to the abnormal conditions in the Yangtze Valley. The report among other things stated:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.