The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-10
THE POLICE OF LONDON.
WORK FOR NINE THOUSAND ONE
HUNDRED and THIRTY MEN.
The Famous Detective Force.

WORK FOR NINE THOUSAND N
HUNDRED and THIRTY MEN.
The Famous Detective Force.
The latest and most complete account Of the
police force of London is given by a writer in
the Dark Blue MAGAZINE, who says:
In London the police forms q very respect
able army In numbers, Is organized on q mill.
tary basis, with q complete hierarchy Of
tingent, which will soon, no doubt, be the
glory OF it's military directors. The city has
been mapped out into new divisions for police
purposes, and each street or series OF streets
is placed under the especial guardianship Of
an individual officer. Telegraph wires run
ming underground connect the various dis
trlcts with headquarters; and, with the MILL
tary discipline in1exibly maintained, render
the force as effective for great or little services
against the enemies of society as any human
arrangement yet invented has proved to be.
There are, at the present moment, under
the commissioner and assistant commissioner
| (all military %of1cers) twenty-six superinten-
dents, two hundred and ffly-seven inspectors,
nine hundred and 6fty-1Ve sergeants, and
seven thousand nine hundred and twenty-five
copstables, to watch over the enormous popu-
lstion and boundless wealth contained within
the police radius of eight hundred and eighty
eight square miles.
The nine thousand men OF the force are
divided into twenty divisions, nineteen Of
which are known by letters of the alphabet,
each one numbering on an average from four
hundred and fifty to five hundred men. The
z or Stepney Division Is the strongest, having
close upon seven hundred rank and file; Wild
the exception of the Thames, and unlettered
body. the d or Whitechapel Division Is the
smallest, numbering lees than three hundred.
The sFancy AZ as It Is called In the force, IS
the favored division, being set apart TO guard
the palaces aud the houses Oh Parliament, and
generally to assist In state pageants. IL mas
three su~perintendents all TO Itself, ana tnere
are thirty.hve Inspectors. and ntnety.se7en
sergeants 10 look after its four hundred and
one constables. The other divisions are more
sparipgly differed, even the K have to man.
age with one superintendent, thirteen inspec.
tors and seventy-nine sergeants. NO partlcu-
lar rule governs the number OF inspectors Ia
each division. The B or Wandsworth men,
with an area ofsiXty-four miles 10 look after,
have but seven Inspectors, while the or
Greenwich, with three miles less, have four
officers more. Each division Is complete In
itself, and looks after all the beats within Its
own bounds. In times.of disturbance 1t re.
ceives or gives assistance, but In all ordinary
times 1t would be considered a monstrous OF.
fence for an NJ TO trench on the ground Of an
N, or a to walk on q DIS Side Of the way.
The pay of all ranks has been recently In
creased, at least nomlnally, but for that
they are obliged to be satisfied with
one DAYS leave in a fortnight, instead
of one 10 q week. When q recruit joins
he finds himself rated as an ordinary con-
stable of the fourth class, with one pound a
week pay. The deductions for the superan.
nuated fund, clothes, &c., leave him ABOUT
eighteen sbillings net. He graduates through
the third and second class until he finds bim-
self In the reserve second class, with deduc.
tione. When he gets into the first reserve ne
will find himself In receipt of one pound,
seven shilliugs, sIxpence q week, the highest
pay for q private constable. II he ID uncom-
monty sharp, or can make his snperiors think
he Is, he may then become o divisional q 1e
tectlVe. with an extra sixpence 9 week.. he
now waits for his sergeancy. which Will be
worth to him one pound, nine shilllngs 8
week. If he Is lucky he may advance until ne
| gets as station sergeant one pound. fifteen
| shilllngs, and If promoted to the chlef Office,
| two pounds, seventeen shillings, eight pence.
An ordinary Inspector of the second class gets
| aud q chief inspector three guineas. The best
| paid detectives are those OF Scotland Yard IT.
self, who receive four pounds, sixteen shil-
| lIngs, two pence. A superintendent In his
first year until the eleventh, when he gets six
pounds, fourteen shillings, eight pence and a
/ CU6uC1 VI bWGuLJ-hNo PouhNo POI 80
| ira, good service allowance.
Before the fourth-class constable can rise
| to the position of superintendent, he will find
q great many obstacles 10 be surnounted. II
| his education be bad, as 1t too often 1s, he Will
have 10 make 1t good at the evening classes
| now attached to most stations. He Will have
| to be always In the way when bis sergeant
| wants him, to be civil to his inspector, and In
| telligent before a magistrate while conducting
a case. If he can succeed In making q clever
| capture, he will find himself spoken Of 10 the
/ police reports as an active and Intelligent off,
| Ger, and he may consider himself on the right
| road.
The ranks are filled up by voluntary en-:
llstment; promotion goes by merit, or, at all
events, by selection, seniority going for some.
thing, though not tor much, and the highest
grades are attainable by the humbleet con
stable II he be favored by the stars. If The
Young man wants to enter the force, he Will
ind that nothing more is necessary than q
knowledge of reading and writing, q strong
constitution and q good character. Alter be
has got his name inscribed on q roll of por.
tentous length, generally bearing the names
| Of hHndreds of applicants, he will IL he be sharp,
%assiduously busy himself In looking up some
influence which can get him taken out OF the
ranks, and advanced at once over the heads OIL
his competitors. Having passed the doctor
he will be placed 10 the preparatory class
where he will be kept for some ten days, un-
dergoing q course of drill and general H.
strnctlon. He will be lectured by a superln'
tendent of the A division upon all the duties
which he will be called on to fulfil; an IN
struction book is given him for his private
reading, after drill hours; and the snperinten'
dent taking that as a sort Of prayer book. and
the police act as q Bible, carefully prepares
him for the ceremony Of being sworn in be
fore the commissioner himself at the earliest
opportunity, at an early day.
The beats are co-eXtensive with all the
streets, lanes and alleys In London, and the
highways and by-ways of the country round
about. Each man is furnished with a beat
card, on which the streets confined to his care
are carefully marked down. He is obliged tt
begin at q particular end, and visit all the
parts In prescribed order, so that the sergeant
may know where to drop on him at a given
moment. He Ia bound to eXalnine the fasten,
ings of every shop, factory and other place OIL
business, and see that all private houses are
duly secured and all basement windows closed,
and he must report any instance of negligence
he may ind. This is an arduous duty. fol
which ne gets little thanks. II a crowd gather
on the pavement 1t is his business to &C
straight into the centre and send to the right
and left the dlsputants. In case Of resistance,
he must take somebody into custody. He is
particularly instructed never TO walk round
about q crowd, or appear to hesitate before
taking action. Decision and sel-assertion are
impressed on him as sacred duties.
The detectives form q class apart In the
notice. In addition to the arrangement OF