THE CRIMES, WHICH OCCURRED IN THE AREA AROUND HAMBURG, ENTAILED SURPRISE ATTACKS BY MASKED FIGURES WHO EMPLOYED FORCE AND THREATS TO GAIN THEIR ENDS AND ESCAPED IN STOLEN VEHICLES; WITHOUT WITNESSES, APPREHENSION PROVED PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT. TO SOLVE THE CRIMES, A SPECIAL COMMISSION OF EIGHT OFFICERS FROM TOWNS AFFECTED WAS FORMED BY THE HAMBURG POLICE. THE UNIT GAINED AN OVERVIEW OF THE OFFENSES AND OFFENDERS BY USING A NEW INFORMATION CONCEPT: AVAILABLE MATERIALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS (1) MAIN DOCUMENTS WHICH COVERED ARRESTS, SEARCHES, SEIZURES, AND COURT DECISIONS; (2) DOCUMENTS ON SUSPECTS (KEPT SEPARATELY FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL); AND (3) DOCUMENTS ON OFFENSES, WHICH CONTAINED ALL INFORMATION RELEVANT TO SEPARATE OFFENSES. GATHERING INFORMATION PROVED VERY DIFFICULT, BECAUSE THE GANG MEMBERS DID NOT RESPOND TO WARRANTS, REFUSED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, SOUGHT TO GAIN PUBLIC SYMPATHY THROUGH PRINTED FLIERS, WERE DEFENDED BY LAWYERS WHO MADE INVESTIGATION IMPOSSIBLE, WERE UNIFIED IN THEIR EFFORTS, AND THREATENED ACCOMPLICES WHO WERE READY TO TESTIFY. POLICE PROBLEMS INCLUDED A VACATION OF ONE OFFICER SHORTLY AFTER HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CASE, WITHDRAWAL OF ONE OFFICER BY HIS POLICE DEPARTMENT AFTER THE CRIMES IN HIS REGION WERE SOLVED, AND REASSIGNMENT OF VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT WHEN THEY WERE STILL NEEDED. CRACKING THE CASE WAS SLOW, AS 100 PERSONS HAD TO BE INVESTIGATED TO PENETRATE THE CLOSE-KNIT GANG OF UPPER MIDDLE-CLASS OFFENDERS. THE BREAK-THROUGH CAME WHEN TWO MAIN OFFENDERS WERE IDENTIFIED IN A LINE-UP, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY HAD WORN DIFFERENT HORROR MASKS FOR EACH CRIME TO DIVERT THE VICTIMS' ATTENTION. BOTH OFFENDERS CONFESSED. THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION WAS SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN PARTICIPANTS IN BIZARRE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES SINCE THEN. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CLOTHING USED BY OFFENDERS TO DISGUISE THEMSELVES ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)