The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-10-20
WHERE MERIT COUNTS.
MARKED CONTRAST BETWEEN
THE SYSTEM


And PERSONNEL of the New York and
London Police FOTess-COurtesy OF
the English ConstabIes Towards the
General PubItc-How They are Se-
Iected and Trained for Their Work
Their Personal Honesty and Free
dom From Political Affiliations.
police of this city and those of the city
of London. Both the System" and the
personnel of the two forces are alto
gether different. In London the SUI
pren1e government of the metropolitan
police is vested in the chief commits
sioner, and although he isl appointed
and nominally acts under the control of
the home secretary, his office and ac-
| ton are absolutely free from political or
party Influence. The commissioner is
chosen not on account of his political
creed, but for his sterling ability to eff
ffctently fill the post He must be a
thorough soldier of great experience
and distinction, strong disciplinarian,
a fearless administrator, free from par
ty, personal or monetary influence, of
undoubted integrity, and the soul of
honor. 1t matters not which political
party be in power. The slightest suspi-
cion of any partlsanship on the part of
the chief or in fact of any of his subor-
dinates, would entail very serious con-
! sequences upon the delinquent. In the
same way, the personnel of the force is
constituted. Candidates for the London
| metropolitan police must be men of I'M
| questionable reputation, constitutional
ly strong, and of good physical mien,
intelligent, and, above all, honest.
They are carefully trained in military
fashion, taught to be Scrupulous and
honorable, kind, attentive and courte-
| Gus, and, last but not least, to be faith
full to duty. They are we'll clothed, we'll
kept, and take pride in their personal
appearance. Their hours on duty are
reasonable and their pay is sufficient.
When special occasions require extra
work they are suitably recompensed,
Promotions depend entirely upon per-
sonal merit, and, as the higher offices
are filed by examination test, it be-
| comes the ambition of every constable
to qualify himself by self-education
during off-duty hours to improve his
position.
The picture Of London constable on
| duty is striking and very deservedly
commands the admiration of those who
have seen it. Generally speaking. the
police force" of the metropolis is divi-
ded into two sections-the beat" con-
stable and the traffic" controller AS
specified hours these men are marched
in detachments from the various head
quarters or police stations, in charge of
a sergeant, to take up their respective
positions. The beat" men are as
signed a particular locality, and their
duty consists of beating" or walking
| this area regularly and continuously,
and meeting each other at stated places
and times. In the course of their
! beat" they have to prevent street null
sances and pavement Instructions, pro-
hibit the misuse of rootways by doafers,
shopgaZers, hand-carts, or other vehi-
cular machines, protect persons and
property, keep an eye on suspicious
characters, and generally preserve
peace and good order.
The traffic controller takes up his
post at q busy or congested point, usu-
ally at four crossroads or other dan
gerous place. His management of the
traffic is marvellous and of worldwide
comment. There he stands statue-like,
with the eye of an eagle, to control the
immense vehicular traffic and to guard
the safety and expedition of the myr-
lads Of PEDESTRIANS With the regulari-
ty of clockwork and the inviolable RI
gidity of a railway signal, his body
moves to and fro In the middle of the
road to govern both. While upraising
one arm and uplifting a finger to create
an impenetrable highway barrier
which even the king himself dare not
disregard-he extends the other hand to
politely assist the child the blind, the
MANNED, the infirn and the nervous to
speed their way with the general public
over clear though dangerous crossing
in the very center of the busiest part Of
the city AS result, one rarely if ever
hears Of a crossing accident" nor or
dinarily of complaints or undue traffic
delay.
Not the least remarkable feature
about the London constable is his con-
duct and department while on duty. To
all appearances he is friendless, rela-
tionless individual-a veritable mechan-
ical human instrument, placed at his
post to do nothing but his duty. Me-
thodically he formally salutes his supe-
rior officers and public notabilities
known to him. and tersely answers
questions put to him by inquiring way
farers and strangers Never by any
chance can he be seen chatting with any
one, nor can he be seen loafing or look
ing idly about. To frequent a saloon
while on duty is risk he dare not run;
however strong the temptation may be,
the accident of detection is too probable
to warrant him in neglecting his duty,
even for a moment He never knows
by whom he may be watched or at
what moment he may be visited by one
of his many superior officers. And
herein lies the great secret of diligence
and discipline peculiar to the metropol-
itan police. In addition to the ordinary