FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (15 - 21 MAY 1973)
This week's many stories include the high crime rate in St Helens, an update on last month's art raid, a profile of the St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, the new dual carriageway scheme to ease town centre traffic and the man that stabbed a stranger after watching Clockwork Orange at the Savoy.
Throughout this week 'Alfie' was performed at the Theatre Royal with Z-Cars' Ian Cullen playing the title role. It was the third production in the Corporation Street theatre's 'Play For May' series.
There was news this week concerning last month's art raid at the Hartington Road home in St Helens of consultant chest physician Dr James McArthur. The robbery had the hallmarks of a rather amateur operation with one of the thieves writing "Sorry" on the door of the house using a crayon. One painting that had been taken during the night had been of Queen Elizabeth I and valued at £10,000.
That had now been discovered resting against the boundary wall of West Derby Cemetery by a man who was taking a short cut home through the graveyard. Also found was the oil portrait of a 17th-century man that had been taken in the same raid. However, police were still searching for a watercolour portrait of an 18th century lady, a still-life oil painting, a heavy silver plate coffee set and a lady's sheepskin jacket. A St Helens police spokesman said:
"The £10,000 painting formed in monetary terms by far the bulk of the raid. We strongly believe that this painting was just too hot for them. All airports and docks round the country were alerted to keep watch. Antique dealers, art collectors, Sotheby's and Christies, were all tipped off. Any painting worth this much would almost certainly have found its way to a valuer – then we would have been informed."
On the 16th the Liverpool Echo published a feature on St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, which revealed that poor communication was the cause of most marriage problems. The council's secretary Brenda Markland said those seeking their help ranged from couples married just a few weeks to people in their seventies. In 1972 they had 118 new cases and 289 interviews were conducted and for the first few months of 1973 the figures had increased.
"Man Gives Sister Passport To Live" was the headline to a front-page article in the St Helens Reporter on the 18th. The piece described the town's first kidney transplant that had recently taken place in which Harry Davies had donated a kidney to his sister, Elsie Jones. Harry from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was now at home recovering from his operation. His sister Elsie from Wyresdale Avenue had sent him this note from her bed in Mossley Hill Hospital: "It's great waking up without headache, backache and cramp. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Thanks a lot."
Now "desperately ill" Lucy Cunningham from Glamis Grove in Sutton was set to become the town's second recipient of a kidney transplant with the donor once again being a brother. The Reporter said Brian Whitter of South John Street in Parr had agreed to give his sister one of his kidneys after both of hers had failed last Christmas. As a result the 31-year-old was being kept alive by a kidney machine. Lucy said: "I badly need a transplant and Brian's the best possible donor. It would be wonderful to lead a normal life again."
The Reporter also described how the National Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street had introduced a new facility – face-to-face contact with its customers. What a novel idea! They had decided that the bulletproof glass screens on their counters were more of a hindrance than help when it came to conversing with those that banked with them.
Although the screens would be staying put, an information desk had been created that was proving popular with customers, as they no longer needed to shout to make themselves heard. Robert Cregeen of the bank explained: "With these security screens, it is often difficult for people to hear. In any case they often don’t want others around when they are discussing private business."
"Anyone Wanting To Play Football For A Local Pub Team?", asked the Clarendon Hotel in College Street in an advert in the Reporter. I wonder if the "anyone" included women?
The Reporter described how the new scheme to ease the flow of traffic through "car-crammed" St Helens town centre was awaiting government approval and was expected to start later in the year. The project would involve construction of a dual carriageway of three lanes each beginning from the railway bridge over the Liverpool – Wigan railway line. It would then follow Parr Street where a roundabout would be built and connect with Warrington New Road. A flyover there would cope with incoming traffic. The dual carriageway was then planned to continue into Higher Parr Street, Traverse Street and to another roundabout at Fingerpost.
The Reporter described how fundraising was underway in Rainford for a new hall for the village's Guides. Since the district company had been formed more than six years before, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and they had applied for a £7,000 grant from Lancashire County Council. A quarter of the cost of the new hall had to be raised by the group and the total so far was £1,500 – but more fundraising was needed. Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of proper accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
And there was a large advert in the Reporter for the new Pelican Crossing that was being introduced nationwide with explanations for pedestrians as to what the red man and the green man symbols meant. "It has been designed to protect pedestrians and reduce delays for drivers", said the ad.
This week Lancashire Chief Constable Stanley Parr issued his annual report which revealed that St Helens was the worst crime black spot in the Lancashire police area. There had been 11,472 offences recorded in 1972, more than anywhere else in the force's area.
The St Helens division included Rainford, Prescot, Huyton, Halewood and Widnes and the man in charge was Chief Superintendent Jack Watson. He blamed the crime rate on what he described as overspill estates with no social facilities. "The trouble with them", he said, "is that the houses are built first and then there is a time-lag before anything is done to provide facilities. St. Helens has a large, high-density population and the most policemen – 576 – of any of the divisions."
St Helens also had the most burglaries in 1972 in 3,579 but in most of the division's areas, the crime detection rate was above the national average of 45.4%. In his report the Lancashire Chief Constable noted that all types of violence was on the increase and called for urgent action after 17 "battered baby" deaths had been reported in the county during 1972. Stanley Parr was St Helens-born, with his father Thomas having served on the St Helens force for thirty years and a long-time resident of Robins Lane.
As if to underline the Chief Constable's comments on violence, a St Helens man was sent to prison for five years on the 19th for stabbing a stranger. That was after seeing 'Clockwork Orange' at the ABC Savoy. The 19-year-old had attacked Edward Morrison of Princess Avenue in Dentons Green after watching Kubrick's controversial film. The young man told DC Eric Howard:
"I have had a row with my girl friend. I wanted to commit suicide, but no one would stab me to death, so I thought I would kill somebody. The man was the first person I saw. I saw the 'Clockwork Orange'. That was violent, but they didn't stab anyone in it." The judge Justice Kilner Brown said at Liverpool Crown Court: "This is yet another instance where violence which brings a man before the court may, if his words are right, be associated with violence he has seen at the cinema or on television."
Talking of films, 'The Poseidon Adventure' starring Gene Hackman began a week's screenings at the ABC Savoy from the 20th. And a new Hammer Films production called 'Dracula A.D. 1972' was shown at the Capitol – with the ubiquitous Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee taking the starring roles.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the football stars coming to St Helens to learn how to be a manager, the rescue of doomed ducklings at Pilks HQ, the glue-sniffing craze in St Helens and Hughie Green is set to make a return visit to Eccleston.
Throughout this week 'Alfie' was performed at the Theatre Royal with Z-Cars' Ian Cullen playing the title role. It was the third production in the Corporation Street theatre's 'Play For May' series.
There was news this week concerning last month's art raid at the Hartington Road home in St Helens of consultant chest physician Dr James McArthur. The robbery had the hallmarks of a rather amateur operation with one of the thieves writing "Sorry" on the door of the house using a crayon. One painting that had been taken during the night had been of Queen Elizabeth I and valued at £10,000.
That had now been discovered resting against the boundary wall of West Derby Cemetery by a man who was taking a short cut home through the graveyard. Also found was the oil portrait of a 17th-century man that had been taken in the same raid. However, police were still searching for a watercolour portrait of an 18th century lady, a still-life oil painting, a heavy silver plate coffee set and a lady's sheepskin jacket. A St Helens police spokesman said:
"The £10,000 painting formed in monetary terms by far the bulk of the raid. We strongly believe that this painting was just too hot for them. All airports and docks round the country were alerted to keep watch. Antique dealers, art collectors, Sotheby's and Christies, were all tipped off. Any painting worth this much would almost certainly have found its way to a valuer – then we would have been informed."
On the 16th the Liverpool Echo published a feature on St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, which revealed that poor communication was the cause of most marriage problems. The council's secretary Brenda Markland said those seeking their help ranged from couples married just a few weeks to people in their seventies. In 1972 they had 118 new cases and 289 interviews were conducted and for the first few months of 1973 the figures had increased.
"Man Gives Sister Passport To Live" was the headline to a front-page article in the St Helens Reporter on the 18th. The piece described the town's first kidney transplant that had recently taken place in which Harry Davies had donated a kidney to his sister, Elsie Jones. Harry from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was now at home recovering from his operation. His sister Elsie from Wyresdale Avenue had sent him this note from her bed in Mossley Hill Hospital: "It's great waking up without headache, backache and cramp. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Thanks a lot."
Now "desperately ill" Lucy Cunningham from Glamis Grove in Sutton was set to become the town's second recipient of a kidney transplant with the donor once again being a brother. The Reporter said Brian Whitter of South John Street in Parr had agreed to give his sister one of his kidneys after both of hers had failed last Christmas. As a result the 31-year-old was being kept alive by a kidney machine. Lucy said: "I badly need a transplant and Brian's the best possible donor. It would be wonderful to lead a normal life again."
The Reporter also described how the National Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street had introduced a new facility – face-to-face contact with its customers. What a novel idea! They had decided that the bulletproof glass screens on their counters were more of a hindrance than help when it came to conversing with those that banked with them.
Although the screens would be staying put, an information desk had been created that was proving popular with customers, as they no longer needed to shout to make themselves heard. Robert Cregeen of the bank explained: "With these security screens, it is often difficult for people to hear. In any case they often don’t want others around when they are discussing private business."
"Anyone Wanting To Play Football For A Local Pub Team?", asked the Clarendon Hotel in College Street in an advert in the Reporter. I wonder if the "anyone" included women?
The Reporter described how the new scheme to ease the flow of traffic through "car-crammed" St Helens town centre was awaiting government approval and was expected to start later in the year. The project would involve construction of a dual carriageway of three lanes each beginning from the railway bridge over the Liverpool – Wigan railway line. It would then follow Parr Street where a roundabout would be built and connect with Warrington New Road. A flyover there would cope with incoming traffic. The dual carriageway was then planned to continue into Higher Parr Street, Traverse Street and to another roundabout at Fingerpost.
The Reporter described how fundraising was underway in Rainford for a new hall for the village's Guides. Since the district company had been formed more than six years before, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and they had applied for a £7,000 grant from Lancashire County Council. A quarter of the cost of the new hall had to be raised by the group and the total so far was £1,500 – but more fundraising was needed. Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of proper accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
And there was a large advert in the Reporter for the new Pelican Crossing that was being introduced nationwide with explanations for pedestrians as to what the red man and the green man symbols meant. "It has been designed to protect pedestrians and reduce delays for drivers", said the ad.
The St Helens division included Rainford, Prescot, Huyton, Halewood and Widnes and the man in charge was Chief Superintendent Jack Watson. He blamed the crime rate on what he described as overspill estates with no social facilities. "The trouble with them", he said, "is that the houses are built first and then there is a time-lag before anything is done to provide facilities. St. Helens has a large, high-density population and the most policemen – 576 – of any of the divisions."
St Helens also had the most burglaries in 1972 in 3,579 but in most of the division's areas, the crime detection rate was above the national average of 45.4%. In his report the Lancashire Chief Constable noted that all types of violence was on the increase and called for urgent action after 17 "battered baby" deaths had been reported in the county during 1972. Stanley Parr was St Helens-born, with his father Thomas having served on the St Helens force for thirty years and a long-time resident of Robins Lane.
As if to underline the Chief Constable's comments on violence, a St Helens man was sent to prison for five years on the 19th for stabbing a stranger. That was after seeing 'Clockwork Orange' at the ABC Savoy. The 19-year-old had attacked Edward Morrison of Princess Avenue in Dentons Green after watching Kubrick's controversial film. The young man told DC Eric Howard:
"I have had a row with my girl friend. I wanted to commit suicide, but no one would stab me to death, so I thought I would kill somebody. The man was the first person I saw. I saw the 'Clockwork Orange'. That was violent, but they didn't stab anyone in it." The judge Justice Kilner Brown said at Liverpool Crown Court: "This is yet another instance where violence which brings a man before the court may, if his words are right, be associated with violence he has seen at the cinema or on television."
Talking of films, 'The Poseidon Adventure' starring Gene Hackman began a week's screenings at the ABC Savoy from the 20th. And a new Hammer Films production called 'Dracula A.D. 1972' was shown at the Capitol – with the ubiquitous Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee taking the starring roles.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the football stars coming to St Helens to learn how to be a manager, the rescue of doomed ducklings at Pilks HQ, the glue-sniffing craze in St Helens and Hughie Green is set to make a return visit to Eccleston.
This week's many stories include the high crime rate in St Helens, an update on last month's art raid, a profile of the St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, the new dual carriageway scheme to ease town centre traffic and the man that stabbed a stranger after watching Clockwork Orange at the Savoy.
Throughout this week 'Alfie' was performed at the Theatre Royal with Z-Cars' Ian Cullen playing the title role. It was the third production in the Corporation Street theatre's 'Play For May' series.
There was news this week concerning last month's art raid at the Hartington Road home in St Helens of consultant chest physician Dr James McArthur.
The robbery had the hallmarks of a rather amateur operation with one of the thieves writing "Sorry" on the door of the house using a crayon.
One painting that had been taken during the night had been of Queen Elizabeth I and valued at £10,000.
That had now been discovered resting against the boundary wall of West Derby Cemetery by a man who was taking a short cut home through the graveyard.
Also found was the oil portrait of a 17th-century man that had been taken in the same raid.
However, police were still searching for a watercolour portrait of an 18th century lady, a still-life oil painting, a heavy silver plate coffee set and a lady's sheepskin jacket. A St Helens police spokesman said:
"The £10,000 painting formed in monetary terms by far the bulk of the raid. We strongly believe that this painting was just too hot for them. All airports and docks round the country were alerted to keep watch. Antique dealers, art collectors, Sotheby's and Christies, were all tipped off. Any painting worth this much would almost certainly have found its way to a valuer – then we would have been informed."
On the 16th the Liverpool Echo published a feature on St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, which revealed that poor communication was the cause of most marriage problems.
The council's secretary Brenda Markland said those seeking their help ranged from couples married just a few weeks to people in their seventies.
In 1972 they had 118 new cases and 289 interviews were conducted and for the first few months of 1973 the figures had increased.
"Man Gives Sister Passport To Live" was the headline to a front-page article in the St Helens Reporter on the 18th.
The piece described the town's first kidney transplant that had recently taken place in which Harry Davies had donated a kidney to his sister, Elsie Jones.
Harry from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was now at home recovering from his operation. His sister Elsie from Wyresdale Avenue had sent him this note from her bed in Mossley Hill Hospital:
"It's great waking up without headache, backache and cramp. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Thanks a lot."
Now "desperately ill" Lucy Cunningham from Glamis Grove in Sutton was set to become the town's second recipient of a kidney transplant with the donor once again being a brother.
The Reporter said Brian Whitter of South John Street in Parr had agreed to give his sister one of his kidneys after both of hers had failed last Christmas.
As a result the 31-year-old was being kept alive by a kidney machine. Lucy said: "I badly need a transplant and Brian's the best possible donor. It would be wonderful to lead a normal life again."
The Reporter also described how the National Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street had introduced a new facility – face-to-face contact with its customers. What a novel idea!
They had decided that the bulletproof glass screens on their counters were more of a hindrance than help when it came to conversing with those that banked with them.
Although the screens would be staying put, an information desk had been created that was proving popular with customers, as they no longer needed to shout to make themselves heard.
Robert Cregeen of the bank explained: "With these security screens, it is often difficult for people to hear. In any case they often don’t want others around when they are discussing private business."
"Anyone Wanting To Play Football For A Local Pub Team?", asked the Clarendon Hotel in College Street in an advert in the Reporter. I wonder if the "anyone" included women?
The Reporter described how the new scheme to ease the flow of traffic through "car-crammed" St Helens town centre was awaiting government approval and was expected to start later in the year.
The project would involve construction of a dual carriageway of three lanes each beginning from the railway bridge over the Liverpool – Wigan railway line.
It would then follow Parr Street where a roundabout would be built and connect with Warrington New Road.
A flyover there would cope with incoming traffic. The dual carriageway was then planned to continue into Higher Parr Street, Traverse Street and to another roundabout at Fingerpost.
The Reporter described how fundraising was underway in Rainford for a new hall for the village's Guides.
Since the district company had been formed more than six years before, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and they had applied for a £7,000 grant from Lancashire County Council.
A quarter of the cost of the new hall had to be raised by the group and the total so far was £1,500 – but more fundraising was needed.
Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of proper accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
And there was a large advert in the Reporter for the new Pelican Crossing that was being introduced nationwide with explanations for pedestrians as to what the red man and the green man symbols meant.
"It has been designed to protect pedestrians and reduce delays for drivers", said the ad.
This week Lancashire Chief Constable Stanley Parr issued his annual report which revealed that St Helens was the worst crime black spot in the Lancashire police area.
There had been 11,472 offences recorded in 1972, more than anywhere else in the force's area.
The St Helens division included Rainford, Prescot, Huyton, Halewood and Widnes and the man in charge was Chief Superintendent Jack Watson.
He blamed the crime rate on what he described as overspill estates with no social facilities.
"The trouble with them", he said, "is that the houses are built first and then there is a time-lag before anything is done to provide facilities. St. Helens has a large, high-density population and the most policemen – 576 – of any of the divisions."
St Helens also had the most burglaries in 1972 in 3,579 but in most of the division's areas, the crime detection rate was above the national average of 45.4%.
In his report the Lancashire Chief Constable noted that all types of violence was on the increase and called for urgent action after 17 "battered baby" deaths had been reported in the county during 1972.
Stanley Parr was St Helens-born, with his father Thomas having served on the St Helens force for thirty years and a long-time resident of Robins Lane.
As if to underline the Chief Constable's comments on violence, a St Helens man was sent to prison for five years on the 19th for stabbing a stranger. That was after seeing 'Clockwork Orange' at the ABC Savoy.
The 19-year-old had attacked Edward Morrison of Princess Avenue in Dentons Green after watching Kubrick's controversial film.
The young man told DC Eric Howard: "I have had a row with my girl friend. I wanted to commit suicide, but no one would stab me to death, so I thought I would kill somebody. The man was the first person I saw. I saw the 'Clockwork Orange'. That was violent, but they didn't stab anyone in it."
The judge Justice Kilner Brown said at Liverpool Crown Court: "This is yet another instance where violence which brings a man before the court may, if his words are right, be associated with violence he has seen at the cinema or on television."
Talking of films, 'The Poseidon Adventure' starring Gene Hackman began a week's screenings at the ABC Savoy from the 20th.
And a new Hammer Films production called 'Dracula A.D. 1972' was shown at the Capitol – with the ubiquitous Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee taking the starring roles.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the football stars coming to St Helens to learn how to be a manager, the rescue of doomed ducklings at Pilks HQ, the glue-sniffing craze in St Helens and Hughie Green is set to make a return visit to Eccleston.
Throughout this week 'Alfie' was performed at the Theatre Royal with Z-Cars' Ian Cullen playing the title role. It was the third production in the Corporation Street theatre's 'Play For May' series.
There was news this week concerning last month's art raid at the Hartington Road home in St Helens of consultant chest physician Dr James McArthur.
The robbery had the hallmarks of a rather amateur operation with one of the thieves writing "Sorry" on the door of the house using a crayon.
One painting that had been taken during the night had been of Queen Elizabeth I and valued at £10,000.
That had now been discovered resting against the boundary wall of West Derby Cemetery by a man who was taking a short cut home through the graveyard.
Also found was the oil portrait of a 17th-century man that had been taken in the same raid.
However, police were still searching for a watercolour portrait of an 18th century lady, a still-life oil painting, a heavy silver plate coffee set and a lady's sheepskin jacket. A St Helens police spokesman said:
"The £10,000 painting formed in monetary terms by far the bulk of the raid. We strongly believe that this painting was just too hot for them. All airports and docks round the country were alerted to keep watch. Antique dealers, art collectors, Sotheby's and Christies, were all tipped off. Any painting worth this much would almost certainly have found its way to a valuer – then we would have been informed."
On the 16th the Liverpool Echo published a feature on St Helens Marriage Guidance Council, which revealed that poor communication was the cause of most marriage problems.
The council's secretary Brenda Markland said those seeking their help ranged from couples married just a few weeks to people in their seventies.
In 1972 they had 118 new cases and 289 interviews were conducted and for the first few months of 1973 the figures had increased.
"Man Gives Sister Passport To Live" was the headline to a front-page article in the St Helens Reporter on the 18th.
The piece described the town's first kidney transplant that had recently taken place in which Harry Davies had donated a kidney to his sister, Elsie Jones.
Harry from Frodsham Drive in Blackbrook was now at home recovering from his operation. His sister Elsie from Wyresdale Avenue had sent him this note from her bed in Mossley Hill Hospital:
"It's great waking up without headache, backache and cramp. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Thanks a lot."
Now "desperately ill" Lucy Cunningham from Glamis Grove in Sutton was set to become the town's second recipient of a kidney transplant with the donor once again being a brother.
The Reporter said Brian Whitter of South John Street in Parr had agreed to give his sister one of his kidneys after both of hers had failed last Christmas.
As a result the 31-year-old was being kept alive by a kidney machine. Lucy said: "I badly need a transplant and Brian's the best possible donor. It would be wonderful to lead a normal life again."
The Reporter also described how the National Westminster Bank in Hardshaw Street had introduced a new facility – face-to-face contact with its customers. What a novel idea!
They had decided that the bulletproof glass screens on their counters were more of a hindrance than help when it came to conversing with those that banked with them.
Although the screens would be staying put, an information desk had been created that was proving popular with customers, as they no longer needed to shout to make themselves heard.
Robert Cregeen of the bank explained: "With these security screens, it is often difficult for people to hear. In any case they often don’t want others around when they are discussing private business."
"Anyone Wanting To Play Football For A Local Pub Team?", asked the Clarendon Hotel in College Street in an advert in the Reporter. I wonder if the "anyone" included women?
The Reporter described how the new scheme to ease the flow of traffic through "car-crammed" St Helens town centre was awaiting government approval and was expected to start later in the year.
The project would involve construction of a dual carriageway of three lanes each beginning from the railway bridge over the Liverpool – Wigan railway line.
It would then follow Parr Street where a roundabout would be built and connect with Warrington New Road.
A flyover there would cope with incoming traffic. The dual carriageway was then planned to continue into Higher Parr Street, Traverse Street and to another roundabout at Fingerpost.
The Reporter described how fundraising was underway in Rainford for a new hall for the village's Guides.
Since the district company had been formed more than six years before, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and they had applied for a £7,000 grant from Lancashire County Council.
A quarter of the cost of the new hall had to be raised by the group and the total so far was £1,500 – but more fundraising was needed.
Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of proper accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
And there was a large advert in the Reporter for the new Pelican Crossing that was being introduced nationwide with explanations for pedestrians as to what the red man and the green man symbols meant.
"It has been designed to protect pedestrians and reduce delays for drivers", said the ad.
There had been 11,472 offences recorded in 1972, more than anywhere else in the force's area.
The St Helens division included Rainford, Prescot, Huyton, Halewood and Widnes and the man in charge was Chief Superintendent Jack Watson.
He blamed the crime rate on what he described as overspill estates with no social facilities.
"The trouble with them", he said, "is that the houses are built first and then there is a time-lag before anything is done to provide facilities. St. Helens has a large, high-density population and the most policemen – 576 – of any of the divisions."
St Helens also had the most burglaries in 1972 in 3,579 but in most of the division's areas, the crime detection rate was above the national average of 45.4%.
In his report the Lancashire Chief Constable noted that all types of violence was on the increase and called for urgent action after 17 "battered baby" deaths had been reported in the county during 1972.
Stanley Parr was St Helens-born, with his father Thomas having served on the St Helens force for thirty years and a long-time resident of Robins Lane.
As if to underline the Chief Constable's comments on violence, a St Helens man was sent to prison for five years on the 19th for stabbing a stranger. That was after seeing 'Clockwork Orange' at the ABC Savoy.
The 19-year-old had attacked Edward Morrison of Princess Avenue in Dentons Green after watching Kubrick's controversial film.
The young man told DC Eric Howard: "I have had a row with my girl friend. I wanted to commit suicide, but no one would stab me to death, so I thought I would kill somebody. The man was the first person I saw. I saw the 'Clockwork Orange'. That was violent, but they didn't stab anyone in it."
The judge Justice Kilner Brown said at Liverpool Crown Court: "This is yet another instance where violence which brings a man before the court may, if his words are right, be associated with violence he has seen at the cinema or on television."
Talking of films, 'The Poseidon Adventure' starring Gene Hackman began a week's screenings at the ABC Savoy from the 20th.
And a new Hammer Films production called 'Dracula A.D. 1972' was shown at the Capitol – with the ubiquitous Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee taking the starring roles.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the football stars coming to St Helens to learn how to be a manager, the rescue of doomed ducklings at Pilks HQ, the glue-sniffing craze in St Helens and Hughie Green is set to make a return visit to Eccleston.