The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-23

stantly at work, adjusting, planning, or ganizing afresh, and marching not only with the times, but ahead of them.
 Force One of Efficiency. This has now been created at Scotland
 Yard. The authorities there make no pretence of perfection or of fnality. That
 IS their strongest claim, perhaps, to pub lie confidence Though the force as a
 whole has been brought up to a condi- tion of efficiency which had never been approached before, and high functionaries from foreign countries, who used to
 smile at the British man In blue are now
 sending over to inspect our system in
 London, struck with Its excellence, yet those who have done most to bring about this result are the least satisned with 1t. The public-which Is as yet hardly aware of what what it owes to those admins trators who have broken through prece- dent and traditions and cut red tape into little bits-would do well to bear this in mind.
 The aim of Scotland Yard, as 1t inn presses a visitor at the present time, Is to give fullest scope to the original basis of police government created in 1929, by laying the greatest stress upon the per sonal factor. The commissioner is not in these times a stranger to his men. He Is living power and presence, his hand in everything and his influence every | where. Yet he would not lessen the sense of responsibility of his subordinates, but increase it. Therefore, while reserving
 the right to decide upon the worth of any innovation suggested to him, he en-
 courages every man, high or low, to make
 suggestions to him, and to exercise initia- tive in every branch of the service in or
 der to advance it's efficiency
 That this is true I myself can vouch for from personal experience. 1 have the privilege not only of seeing Scotland 1 Yard, but of knowing policemen of all l ranks, under the helmet and in plain | clothes, old-timers, grown gray under the 1 rule of former. days, young men, who know only the present. It is striking to 1 hear the comments made by these men l upon Scotland Yard as 1t Is today and as
 1t was. The opinions differ in many re- | spects. of course. The old men shake l their heads over the latitude given to
 prisoners in the charge room, and are
 skeptical of the new training of consta- | bles in police law and practice before they | go on beat.
 What's the good of examining with 1 police laws boys who haven't handled a
 drunk yet2 said a chief inspector the l other day. "I learned nothing but what
 my sergeant taught me and what l picked 1 up afterward, yet here l amH' But he had
 nothing to criticise in Scotland Yard. "A | man has a chance of hearing now. If
  ] commissioner is glad to hear 1t. In my l time you'd have as soon thought of try 1 ing % speak to the queen herself, unless | voc were sent for'
 Examinations Made Harder. l The younger mon grumble at the in ] creasing stiffness of the examinations for promotion. but they appreciate the reason | for it.
 "The public is at the bottom of the l thing" one said, with rueful laugh; | they expect more and more from the po- ] lice. Sometimes l wonder where 1t will stop. What a constable is supposed to know mortal man could set into his head with our chances of education. So We have to educate ourselves afterwards, as best we can. It's hard. But there's one thing, we have the chance to study things. They'll give you any help that way at the Yard"
 Thus, whatever may be the imperfec- tions of policemen even today-and they have failfngs which no improvements In condition or discipline are likely to cure
 the conviction forces itself upon the mind