What year did Charles Warren become the Metropolitan Police Commissioner?
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What year did Charles Warren become the Metropolitan Police Commissioner?
Charles Warren became the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in 1886.
Who are the Metropolitan Police?
The Metropolitan Police (or the Met) was established by Robert Peel in 1829. The Met only polices London. It aimed to improve the standard of policing across London. By 1885, the Met had 13,319 officers.
True or False?
The Met struggled to attract good quality recruits by c.1870.
True.
The Metropolitan Police faced challenges attracting recruits due to poor pay, inconsistent work and dangerous or boring patrols.
Define the H Division.
The Metropolitan Police divided London into 20 divisions. The H Division were responsible for policing Whitechapel.
Who had the most power in the H Division: the superintendent or the chief inspector?
The superintendent.
The superintendent was responsible for overseeing the chief inspector.
Define the beat for police officers in Whitechapel.
The beat was the area that a constable patrolled. A constable was expected to have an in-depth knowledge of his beat. This included the alleyways, pubs and shops around the beat.
What did a beat constable use a whistle for?
A beat constable used a whistle to alert other beat constables of danger. This was the only way to communicate with other police officers on the beat.
Why did detectives in the CID still work on their beat?
Detectives in the CID still worked on their beat so they knew the local area well. This would help them when they were investigating crimes.
Was Sir Charles Warren a popular or unpopular Metropolitan Police Commissioner?
Unpopular.
In 1887, the SDF protested in Trafalgar Square against the government. Warren called the army to stop the protest, leading to the events of Bloody Sunday. This turned many people in lower-class districts in London against the police.
True or False?
Whitechapel viewed the Metropolitan Police positively.
False.
Gangs attacked the beat constables of the H Division often. When the police put down demonstrations, protestors saw the police as helping a bad government instead of helping the poor.
True or False?
Criminals employed orphans to pickpocket people living in the rookeries of Whitechapel.
True.
Criminals employed orphans and homeless people to steal. Criminals targeted rookeries because the dense population made it very hard to catch the thief.
Did the Metropolitan Police make more or less arrests and prosecutions in Whitechapel?
Less.
Whilst Whitechapel had a high level of crime, H Division had to consider hundreds of suspects. This required more constables and detectives than the H Division had available, leading to fewer arrests and prosecutions.
How did the environment of the rookeries help criminals?
The environment of the rookeries helped criminals because:
Criminals had better local knowledge and could escape from the police
The police found it challenging to police all of the narrow alleyways
It was easier for criminals to hide in the rookeries
Why did more people in Whitechapel drink alcohol rather than water?
More people drank alcohol rather than water because Whitechapel's poor sanitation often contaminated the water supply. Diseases such as cholera spread through the water. Therefore, alcohol was considered safer to drink.
Name three crimes committed in Whitechapel to purchase more alcohol.
Three crimes committed to purchase more alcohol were:
Robbery
Pickpocketing
Murder
What impact did alcohol have on the H Division's ability to investigate crime?
Alcohol made it made it challenging for detectives to investigate crime. Witnesses to crimes were often drunk and unreliable. Drunk victims might not report a crime or not give the police enough details to catch the criminal.
Define backstreet abortions in Whitechapel.
Backstreet abortions are an illegal and dangerous procedure where abortion is carried out by someone who is not authorised to carry out the procedure. A lack of contraception caused many women to resort to backstreet abortions.
Did the Metropolitan Police have a lot of sympathy or no sympathy for prostitutes in Whitechapel?
No sympathy.
H Division believed that a crime against a prostitute was not as serious as crimes committed against men or middle-class victims. The Met did not protect prostitutes.
Who were the Bessarabian Tigers?
The Bessarabian Tigers were also known as the 'Stop At Nothing Gang.' Gang members were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.
Define protection rackets in Whitechapel.
Protection rackets are a criminal system of taking money from people in exchange for agreeing not to hurt them or damage their property. The Bessarabian Tigers and the Odessians organised protection rackets on local Jewish businesses in Whitechapel.
Did constables stand up to gangs or allow them to get away with their crimes in Whitechapel?
Get away with their crimes.
Gangs often attacked policemen. To avoid harm, the H Division believed it was better to let the gangs fight against each other than to intervene. Areas such as Ewer Street became lawless as constables refused to police there.
True or False?
The police in Whitechapel only focused on police work.
False.
Constables acted as social workers for the community in Whitechapel. They dealt with vagrancy, ensured that sewage and litter were properly disposed and took children to school.