People Australia

Alfred Stephen Burvett, sketch

Melbourne Punch, 31 October 1889, p 5

The subject of our sketch to-day is Detective Alfred Stephen Burvett, who is twenty-eight years of age, and hails from "Merrie England," being born within the sound of Bow-Bells.

Burvett, whilst a lad, visited La Belle France, where he immediately entered into commercial pursuits, and, having a quick ear and a ready tongue, rapidly developed into an accomplished linguist. Being desirous of looking further afield, Burvett came out to Australia in 1883, and travelled through pretty well the whole of the colonies. Not liking a sedentary occupation, and having a hankering after the life of a detective, he anchored in Melbourne, and in 1887 he threw in his lot with the Victorian detective police, and though he has only been a comparatively short time connected with the Criminal Investigation Department, he has already made his mark.

His first notable case may be said to be that in which a trio of three-ball-men, James Abe, West and Jackson, notorious characters from Western Australia, who, having got off the chain, were roaming about Melbourne at their own sweet will, when Burvett, having his suspicious aroused, kept them under surveillance, and eventually captured them red-handed attempting to break into a pawn-broking establishment. Tried and convicted, they were sent off for various terms of imprisonment.

Numerous offenders of every class owe their present retirement from the outer world to this astute young detective, whom we next find figuring conspicuously by arresting the principals in the frauds on the Commercial Bank, there being a trifle something like seven thousand pounds at stake. All through this case Burvett shone out to especial advantage.

In company with that able officer, Considine, we next find Burvett holding a full hand in the celebrated case of Radford, the "quack" doctor, who was prosecuted on a charge of selling drugs for an illegal purpose. The detective so completely hoodwinked the "medical man" that the latter thought he had "a good thing" on in the shape of a customer. Radford's face, however, is said to have been a study for a photographer when Burvett disclosed his vocation. Fresh in the minds of our readers are the notorious commercial frauds on Howard Smith and Co., which once again brought Burvett's services in vogue, the men being tried, convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.

The Sinclair jewellery robbery, which cropped up and created quite a sensation at the time, again brought Burvett forward, with good results.

To come down to more recent events, we find Burvett again associated with his old comrade, Sergeant Considine, both of whom so greatly distinguished themselves in unravelling the now famous "Ringwood Mystery," for which only a short time back Robert Laudells was executed for the murder of Sherlock.

The arrest and conviction of Schultz (the Asbestos Company's affair) added another feather to Burvett's cap, and the recovery of about a thousand pounds' worth of the big Queensland jewellery robbery is mainly due to the ingenuity of he detective under notice.

The few cases given above, not to mention many others we could name did space permit, make up a list that few officers with the same length of service can boast of. We have not the slightest hesitation in predicting a bright and brilliant future for this popular young detective should he elect to remain in the police force.