New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-21
Tile LONDON POLICE.

vowyorl has police problem before u.
should the reorganzed force be under single
,o,dod or hI.nartsan control Should the super
,,,o,dor, no q civilian or "A soldier: Should The
State or city attend to the enforcing Of the laws:
These and other questions are arsu'h Oh III
sides while new plans are being brought before
the legislature But the experience of New
York is not unique Other large cities have han
70 organize police systems AMI ihr WAY 'h'!
have gone about It and the results attained are
worth bearing In mind We do not n''Ni 10 h'''
our difficulty unaidcd by preccdenis. tn" OK
noricncc Of the world i Ia be had, II We VIII
onlv take II. study il and make use ~ what We
find H. good
The London force. an account 81 when Is
published In another column of Inc ''''""'
,h,s morning. is Of comparatively recent origin.
IL owes its existence 10 something "i 'h' S""''
conditions rs led 10 the establishment Of ih' old
Netropoliian Police In this city many years ago
The municipal limits were not co"NtcnNiVc win
the territory frcqucnted by III" people ana III
need Of protection The same difficulty >iil 'N-
,s,s bcro and one Of the good things which tile
advocates Of the Greater Ncw-fork scheme
promise is well pocel suburbs when Sir
Robert Peel In 1879 created the London force
CITY over which the Lord Mayor ruled was a
restricted space Of small population. Around IL
were vast aggregations Of people living III dif-
ferent marshes and counties There was II" cen
trail judicial authority. but law was admins
tered by inefficient county magistrates me hrSl
roform in This completely Of jurisdiction and
absence " systematic efforts Tor inc "'''F'""
-, cr,mc was made In the direction Of IN AIDE
uuate system OF magistrates WI" are now III
,ro,ncd LAWYERS The appointment of good
iudpes Immediately made plain the need OF
GOOD notice To obtain this Peel created the
METROPOLITAN Police District, which now includes
,he territory within what is, roughly speaking,
n circle thirty miles In diameter. Its population
Is j.G3s. 1t does not include the old city of
Iondon though efforts are being made TO have
T. do 90. but II does comprise the new county OF
London. the county Of Mlddlcs"x ana parts OF
JIortrord Essex. Kent and Surrey, as well as
three municipal boroughs
As there Is no minor political DIVISION c"''r
minous with the district, II Is Impossible Tor the
system to be under local authority. 'ircuh
stances have solved the problem or STATE OF
municipal control for London ana solved II III
different way from that which seems In favor
here The Metropolitan Police Is State III
s.itution. II Is under the direct authority OF the
Home Secretary. That officer, acting through 'he
Queen appoints she head Of the force, who Is
sinplc head and is, moreover invariably a mill
tary officer Of rank and experience. IN MS per
son are the other two questions Of NEWCOMERS
answered so far as the opinion or LONDON Is
concerned The Commissioner Is responsible for
the entire management or the force except III
regards It's finances. The payment or salaries
the making Of contracts for land, buildings ana
sunplies. and the cust0dianship or ponce prop
crty are vested In Receiver appointed by the
Crown and responsible directly to the Home
Secretary Thus money matters are Kept en-
tlrely outside OF police administration as sucn.
The Commissioner keeps the peace, maintains
discipline, hunts down criminals and enforccS
the ordinances. Though himself Il military
officer his force is essentially civil organlza-
ton. Its members come from civil me- are held
to strict accountability for their obedience TO
| civil law and receive promotion In accordance
with a regular merit system The names OF the
subordinate officers are unlike those In New
| York, but the work performed and the methods
Of administration do not differ essentially. An
| Assistant Commissioner Is at the head OF the
Criminal Investigation Department, which has
much the same organization ms the detective
force I'm this city. This branch OF the service
has, however, an additional function. The
Convict Supervision Office keeps constant watch
on persons twice convicted Of crime. those I'M
der sentence to police supervision and those free
upon license before the expiration OF a term Of
| imprisonment. This work must be done with
the greatest discretion to avoid njuring the per-
! sons watched That little complaint Is made