How do you catch a man who leaves no trace?
Burglar and rapist a disgrace
On the go for seventeen years
Leaving old folk full of fears
Leaving others with lives they cannot face
Always turning up after he’s gone
Light bulbs in the sink no light on
Gloves and mask to cover him
Trinkets left outside
Nothing else nothing else to go on
Got his DNA but what’s the use
Not on the system
Despite all his abuse
And human error took him off a file
And offending carried on a while
What got him in the end?
Old fashioned policing
‘Bobbys’ on the beat marking his ground
We’ve got to get ahead of him
Waiting till he comes
Define his patch
And watch him come around
Brian Fahy
24 September 2021
+ In the story of ‘The Night Stalker’, on ITV, we see how DNA is powerful, but human error in identifying a person for the database, is always a factor. Science is only as good as our ability to use it well.
The great thing was human intelligence. Studying the pattern of the offending, SIO Colin Sutton realised that he could use this to his advantage and ‘get ahead’ of the offender. Get officers in place and wait for man to turn up. Well done.
Erris Poetry 