Methods put to test by a killer

The oldest trade in the world has always been one of the most dangerous. Women who sell their bodies on the streets run the risk of attack, disease and violent manipulation from pimps and brothel keepers.

Now three prostitutes have been found dead in Suffolk, and two other women have been reported missing.

Women in the Ipswich area have been advised not to stay out after 6pm.

It is important to keep a sense of perspective. So far the police have only linked two of the killings, and the two women who went missing over the weekend may yet turn up unharmed.

But the tragic deaths highlight the risks women take by entering into what is now euphemistically referred to as ‘the sex industry’.

And they set police a criminal test the like of which hasn’t been seen since Peter Sutcliffe’s vile murder spree in the 1970s.

Criminologists say that the killer will be local, intelligent and a regular user of prostitutes in the area.

Psychologists claim he will be harbouring a deep-seated anger against the world.

Technological profiles are already being shared with foreign organisations like the FBI to present a Cracker-style picture of who the murderer is.

And yet time and again, these crimes are not solved by technology or modern forensic techniques.

It will be a slip-up, a mistake, a vital clue left at the scene, a chance remark or a sharp piece of observation that nails the killer.

Old-fashioned policing normally pays off in cases like these.

Let’s just hope there are enough police officers who are old fashioned enough to get the job done.

When deals are not always good

We have all seen those cars priced at the side of the road with temptingly cheap price stickers and mobile-only contact numbers.

Well, anyone thinking of taking a chance on such a vehicle would do well to pay heed to our story today about rogue dealer Andrew Pincher.

Posing as a private seller, Pincher sold dangerous cars from the side of the road. One had its battery secured by a screwdriver rammed into place, posing a fire hazard. Another had a faulty tyre, brakes and exhaust.

By giving Pincher an anti-social behaviour order, Judge Mark Eades has rightly acknowledged that selling unroadworthy cars off a grass verge is a crime just like any other.

It may be many cars for sale at the side of the road are perfectly safe, and sold by honest traders. But there is little comeback when things go wrong.

Buyers would do well to remember that if something looks to good to be true, it usually is.