The Portland daily press., 1895-12-28
In SCOTLAND YARD.
Interesting Facts About LOndon's
Great Police Force.

tut EUICSs
Over $4,000 Men Employed in Quietly
SURPRISING Crime.
London, Dec 12-The Scotland Yard,
of fact, is handsome red brick building
deliberately trimmed with gray stone
and facing the Thames. 1t is one Of the
highest buildings in London. Its interior
is very plain and matter of fact, with
smooth white walls and tiled corridors.
Nowhere within it's doors is there any
hint of sensationalisin. The building
was designed especially to afford a head
quarters for the vast police business of
the Britishmatropolis, and is business like
from the foundation stones to Its weather
vanes.
| But the real Scotland Yard is as inter-
esting in it's way as the Scotland Yard of
| the fictionists has been. One reason why
most writer's have SO utterly gone wrong
when they approached London detectives
and their work, is that the police like to
shroud their operations in manifold mys-
tories. Among the officials, excepting
Chief Supr. Shore-as honest and hearty
a gentleman as one may meet in a days
journey-there is an intimation that de-
tective work is full Of red fire and melo-
drama.
| Scotland Yard fronts on the Thames
embankment, but it is as easily accessi-
BILE from Whitehall, the broad thorough
fare which leads from Trafalgar square
to the house of parliament. The big
building stands ON one side Of a great
court and towers high above its neigh
bors. 1t is surrounded by a tumble of
cabs for good part of the day-convey-
ances in which com plainants have come
to state their cases, or officers to "fiie
their reports. 1t is the headquarters of
the metropolitan police, made up of two
branches-the constabulary Cor uniformed
men) and the criminal Investigation de-
partment Cor detective force). The
private detective offices are known as
private inquiry bureaus"
| London, it should be explained, is un-
der the control Of two municipal govern
ments The oity-the old town, where
the Bank of England, the stock exchange
and most of the great financial institu-
lions are centred is controlled by tho
corporation, headed by the lord mayor.
The county, which completely surrounds
the city, and which contains the greater
part Of London's population. is governed
/ by the city council. The city and the
county have police forces which are en-
tirely ceparate in system and manage
ment. The city force is simply an un;n-
teresting constabulary, with no detective
branch of Importance.
1t is the county force-the metropolitan
| police-which centers at Scotland Yard.
This force consists of 1921 men, of
whom 465 are in the criminal investiga-
ton or detective department. There is a
| vast difference in the number of crimes
committed in London and in American
cities, pro rata of population. and some
reason for the English balance Of virtue
| will be found in the greater number of
policemen there.
New York, for instance (the most thor
oughly policed city in the United States,
outside of Chicago), has only ALSO men
| on it's entire force. with whom a popula-
ton of approximately 2, 900, 600 is handled.
The metropolitan police Of London guards
ess than twice as many PERSONS, 149, oO0
but has almost four times New York s
number of policemen to do it with.
When Dickens wrote, detectives and
police were under separate administra-
tions, and detectives were called upon
only when the police made a failure of a
case Any one who was willing to pay
the oost anywhere in the United King
dom had the right to call for detective
from Scotland Yard, however, and it WAS
by no means unusual for members Of this
famous group of detectives to be sent out
side of the Queens domain. At present
a Scotland Yard detective is not permit
ted to leave London, except on rare oc-
} casions.
1t was from this old force that Dickens
gathered material for the detective
sketches which first made him famous.
This old Scotland Yard organization con-
tinued until the exposure of what are
rem bered as the "great turf frauds. "
This showed state of affairs more de-
, plorable in Scotland Yard than the Lexow
committee revealed in New York city,
and almost broke the heart of Mr.. Viii,
Hanson, the chief officer. Growing out
of this unsavory mess OF bribery, official
Jhievery and general corruption. came in
1878 reorganization on about the pres
emit basis.
At the same time the office was moved
, from the old building to another in the
center of the square. This was occupied
by the detectives until 1886; dynamiters,
incensed by the constant espionage which
Scotland Yard subjected them to, blew
up the place. Fortunately no one was
killed. Then, after moving for time
to temporary headquarters, the depart
lrent took its present commodious offices
ANY man may apply for appointment
on the force at any of the division (rrs'
cinct) houses. In order to secure employ
ment as police constable. he must BIZ
over 21 and under IS years. He must be
II