Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-03-07
THE LONDON POLICE.
Facts and Figures About the Peace Guard
ians of the English Capital.
From Chambers Journal.

From Chambers Journal.
The London police force, like all In
situations of that vast metropolis, is ar
ranged upon gigantic plan. The su-
perintendents, inspectors, sergeants, and
constables make up an army 1880
strong-a truly formidable force, but
none too large, when 1T is considered
that the Metropolitan Police District
tends over radius Of fifteen miles from
Charing Cross, exclusive of the city Of
London and it's liberties, and embraces
an area of 6S8 square miles, of a ratable
value of 33,800,000 pounds per year.
Over such an area as this, including as
it does a population of some 5,36O,OOO
persons, there is of course, vast
amount of work to be done: and it must
be borne in mind that the duties of the
London police are not limited to the
taking into custody of criminals and dis,
orderly persons, and the watching of
property, but include such duties as the
carrying out of the smoke abatement
, acts, the inspection of common lodging
houses, regulation Of street traffic, and
at certain times the onerous duty OF
taking up stray dogs, ali o. W .s..ccth, dug
ties are anything but light in town like
London; nor are they likely to become
less arduous, seeing that during the
year 1885 12,252 new houses were built
in the police district, making twenty
nine miles. of new streets.
The number of persons apprehended
by the police during the year 1886 was
1870. The value of property stolen
during the same period was lis, $40
pounds, of which 1929 pounds were
recovered, leaving net loss of 100,2l1
pounds; but the latter sum, it is to be
presumed, would be set down by GER
tain parties as net gain. NotWith-
standing the vast size of London, it is
somewhat astonishing to notice that no
fewer than IL 1902 persons were reported
to the police as missing, and 8,943
were found and restored to their
friends. During the twelve months
there occurred 1850 fires, fifty-eight Of
which were extinguished by the police.
The truth of the saying that it is safer
to travel by railway than to walk he
streets of London would seem t Q
quite verified by the fact that the num-
Der Of persons known by the police to
have been run over and killed in the
streets was ia, the number manned or
injured from the same cause being 81
$40.
During the year licenses were issued
to hackney drivers, stage drivers
and conductors to the number of 49,
800; and it is very interesting to OBJ
serve that among these men there are
987 over 80 and under 20 years of age5
100 over 70 and under so; and four over
50 years old. Occasionally, l4ondon
driver may have the chance of wind
fall in the shape of property left in his
conveyance, for it seems that last year
the number of articles left IN public
carriages, etc., and deposited in the
hands of the police, was 1851, out of
which u, Ill were restored to, the own
ers, who paid as rewards to the finders
sums amounting to 1893 pounds, repre-
sentirg value of between $4,000 and
5000 pounds. Among the finds the
following are some of the most remark
able; bag with 216 pounds in notes and
gold; another bag containing 100 pounds
in notes; third bag with bonds to- the
amount Of 300 pounds; and several lots
of cash varying from ten to fifty pounds.
After the articles have been deposited
for three months, they are. in the abb
sence of being claimed by the owners,
returned to the parties depositing
them.