The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-02
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE LONDON
POLICE.

The MetrepOlitan Police, amt What 1,
| Paid for Them.
from Chambers Journal
a certain celebrated stranger who lately no
cehed much honor amongst us, took occasion :,
pay Tonnage TO the London police and-thruugt
thtm-to their brethren IN blue throughout The
country. He said :--"When | speak of tht
English police, take oil my hats" and the re-
ports add, that the great man "suited the action
TO the word" II Is not often these useful mer
receive such public and comprehensive praise, sC
let them 10y It to heart More frequently, the
members OF the force arc regarded as the fttesl
subjects for Joke; aud rom Punch down 10 the
ttItet Arab any body's pleasantly at the expense
OF n Iolceman is considered to be perfectly jus.
tihable.
No one with grain OF sense would expect
polctmCn 10 be ubiquitous, ct it is algays con.
sidtred witty TO remark on their arrival &c the
close Of a fray. Perhaps the equanmity with
which these "beltcd knights" accept "the chadii
with which they are often greeted has a ten.
dency 10 pique the satirical faculties OF observers
somehow, The policeman learns to affect OF
really acquires, q pretcrnatural gravity Of de-
mehnor worthy OF a philosopher lie can also
readily assume the smile sardOnic over cases of
simu a'ed tisres~, or when his experienced eve
detects the result of stong 20 Oations in some
poor wrttch, whom the credulous bystander re-
CARDS as suffering from mortal illness.
The TASK which /, daily imposed on the ordi-
nary police constable is not AN easy one. In our
crowded streets he has 20 preserve the greatest
degree of order that Is compatible with the
SmalIt II smOuut OF interfrnce on his part To
do this requires the constant exerci.e of common
sense and, not seldom, q good deal of tic. No
set ngrlatons, however sklifnly devised IN
Scotland Yard, can sspersede the necessity for
that pr mpt judgment which the po emau mu t
nee in the streets Of London. No doubt he efrs
sometimes, fer even policeman cannot always
Keep bis temper, or act with the dignity of a
Judge. He has often to decide betWeen COM
fl CtiDg assCverhtions OF the most positive kind
and 10 discriminate between fraud ana nisfor-
tune; his delintraiions having generally 10 he
conductt amidst II crowd Of differing cOu nseors
The ordinary police constable il taken from
those who are roughly spok,n Of as "the masses"
OF our population. His rate of remuneration
though somewhat above that of a town laborer
l. less than that OF most art sans. IL is needrul
that be should have had some elementary edu-
caiOn, Tut that l. now generally possessed by
the cias5 from which he is aiken; so that the
habltual discretion and moderation of cOnnuct
dIp hyeG by he policeman, may he considered
10 iepit the average OF those qualities rs pos
re-, by The ordinary wOIkm in England
SOYauabe an organization as tha police force
30 essential TO The social order of this g,eat me-
hol oils and she cumiOrs OF its dJuizens, cannot
DC maintained without considerable aggregate
cost. Few, however, who fairly examine the
V1lf US j ems OF eXpendiiury for the mptrOpOliian
pol ce WI hnd much 10 crticizc. Ey ry rate
pay'r can easily satisfy him eff as to. how the
money Is spent, as complete s,strm OF nay.
ments and receipts is annually prepa cd by SIR
Richard May and presented TO Parliamcnt
The animal r,rurr was printed few weeks ago
and COZ tains full account OF all payments made
mp to December 81 1868, for the following pur-
poses THE metropolitan Police, the Police
SDpeIanDuation Fund, Public Cirriages, and
Police Courts"
There are also two appendices, one of them
consisting of detailed statement of the gross
rentals on which the rate is charged and The net
amounts levied for police purposes in every
- WaNls Vf.NNW "a
n ,poitan disnict The district not only com
prises-always exc ptirg the territory Of the Lord
Mnytr--the whole of Middlesex and the ship
ping ON the river, but it extends into the four
tonniie> CT Kent, surrey, Essex, and Heris, In
all OF which Sir II. May ne possesses nnaglsierial
jurisdiction, as he does also, we believe, in TWO
other countie, hesi e..
Apperdix b" in the return reritcs the re-
spectiyt nun hers in zach Of the four classes of
police officers, with the kalaties and allowances
enjoyed in each division. The total number of
men in the force is 1927. OF these there are in
Vie INST rank = that Of Superinuendents - %, of
whtm II receive $3.50 per annum, ave have
IN allcr sums and ouly one he's a larger salary.
There are 200 nspect'rs, lj9 having annual
salaries uf EMS Ga. Of sergeants there are 768
0t whom I3l are paid II IL. 60, per week, The
cnnstuhles, the rink and fe of the force number
1896. Upwards Of 1000 receive lgs and IS47
have Fl L. per week; 4 very few receive 49,
and, htSides th,ir clothing, nll the constables
hgye un allowance nj house coal
Not only have all the policemen firesides OF
thtlr own, hut several Of hem are so fortunate as
10 nave Wlie at home this, indeed, l. only q
| natural result of the opportunities which ihe
force enjoy ~ their daily lnpection Of the "area.
| b Hes throughout this great city IL appear7
that the anthONties approve Of matrimony IN the
Sase ol thtse guaruia's OF our homes, for the
Wedotd constable receives forty pounds of coal
"ttkly all the year round, whilst his bachelor
cunfsde has the allow ance reduced 10 half duripo
| the iour summer months
Whilst MIR. Gsdsione seeks only TO entice the
FolBl lng ella ses into habits Of forcthought. tbe
| police are made provideut by rule; for the same
| sl stem tha compels them 70 wear blue coat
| aho Obli9es them to lay up q store for old age
Fn IN ne salaries OF, we believe, all tho fouI
| ranks OF the police force there are delucted
certain definite sums, thnt 60 20 form a super.
animation allowance. The different rates OF
ihese deductions are not stated; but the tota
sum srbtrncted from the wages OF the force
duiiIg last year was 1862 nearly half Rl
much more was taken for "stoppares durinp
Sickness and $500 as fines for misconduct
making an aggregate Of eli 204 contributed
by the police towards their own future comforts
Wl. Su, Gl the rates OF salary enumerated above
yet the force as a!whole is generously dealt with
FOR the uperannuitRnts-l930 in last wear
received t05,2SI that Is, nearly five times the
amount contributed by the force and we obseryC
M another part OF these returns an item Of Ella
Which was also paid in pensions and allowances
70 widows and children of policemen who had
died from injuries received in the execution ol
their iduty. Neurly f3000 is also obtained tow.
ards this fund from the fines by the IN igistrates
on drunk and disorderly persons, and for assault.
on tue police and tho sale of policemen's "oid
clio, produced fl3l6 in aid of the same purpose
But the larger portion of the superannuation fund
6,2i6-ls supplied from the general fund OF
the metropolitan police, which is itself provided
from national sources by parliamentary vote
There are rate-payers who are apt 10 "considel
TOO curiously" as to parochial expenditure, and
Ia so doing give themselves needless anxiety
Some OF these may query 10 themselves, sWhose
money is II that pays the policemen who are
slways 10 be seen at the Houses of Parliament
and other public buildings as well as in theatres
and many private establishments Z" Such econo-
mists may rest assured that these special ser.
vices OF the police are all charged to the insttu-
tions that receive them, the respective payments
being placed TO the debit of the metropolitan
police fund. The Admiralty Is the largest Gus
toner for police supervision; that department
paid fS3,Ol5 for snch service, and the War Office
-Tios policemen a. Aldershott and other stations
--pah 10000.
H ats ar