The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-23
Head and Brains of London Po-
 lice System
SOLVES THE BIG PROBLEMS
The Headquarters of the Police Force. Many and Varied Duties That Are Directed From This
 Great Establishment.
From the London Times.


 the headquarters of the police of London. The commissioner himself is to be found i there and the assistant commissioners | heads of the departments; also the chief constable controlling the "C. l. D." and responsible for all the men in plain clothes
 At Scotland Yard every matter affect ing the organization of the force as a whole is dealt with. including the regu- lation of traffic and the protection of the public in all emergencies. small and great. whether it be a question of clearing thor oughfares for a royal procession, queneh- ing the ardors of organized hoollganism parading under the nom de guerre of the unemployed" or giving socialist orators the opportunity of preaching violence in Hyde Park or Trafalgar Square. without any breaking of heads-their own or other peoples. At Scotland Yard. also, the au- thorues devise ways of dealing with suf- fragette martyrs, so that, apart from unpleasant experiences with mobs, they shall not suffer anything at all, physi- caly. whatever annoyance they may cause to other people.
 All "ordersp are issued from Scotland Yard, from those which affect the dis ciplne of the entire service to those which prescribe the pattern of a regula- tion boot This has always been so, and the Yard" has been the center of the police universe since the 'peeler'' sup planted the watch and the Bow street patrols in 1929.
 Yet Scotland Yard today, though in the ory performing the same functions as the metropolitan police act laid down in the sos, is as different in reality from those days as a Jee-Wetford rife from the old Brown Bess."
 Innovations Are Numerous.
 There is nothing intrinsically remark able in this. Similar changes have taken place in other services during the last 70 years. But, while in most instances the developments and innovations have come gradually, and, apart from an occa- sional check, each generation has out grown the official clothes of the one be- fore-the old order changing by degrees to meet modern requrements-in the po- lice matters have gone differently. An ex- animation of Scotland Yard 10 or 20 gears ago would have discovered it to be essentially the same as in the '50s and eos. It is only within the last de- cade that precedent, tradition, and rou- tine have been uprooted with a resolute hand where they interfered with efficien- cy, and In place of a system which con ducted business in certain well-worn grooves there has sprung Into existence spirit of progressive development on scientific lines, which has already revo- lutionized the relations of the authorities at the Yard with the force as a whole and is only at the beginning of it's achievements. This has not entailed any outward or statutory changes The prin- Oi iDl on xrrb{q ernment was based at the beginning was the personal responsibility and supreme authority of the commissioner for the time being Since Scotland Yard was cre- ated its head has had power to regulate at will the actions of every man in the force, from constable to superintendent, and to impose such discipline and or ganization throughout the whole of the service as he may decree best in it's in- terests or those of the public.
 The point is that, until lately, each succeeding commissioner allowed sucn matters to remain pretty much as they had been under his predecessor. Conse- quently, when a commissioner appeared who possessed ideas of his own, and had the courage to enforce them, a change came that was like a volcano in it's ef- feets and yet quietly and so ire sistibly was it made that no one outside the force knew what was happening, and few, perhaps, realize what has happened even now.
 Authority Now Centralized.
 Not so those within. Go where you will talk to men of any rank, and you Wlll learn that the Scotland Yard of a gener- alton ago has passed away as completely as the dodo-never to return. The differ enee is this: The system of former days, in so far as the every day work and duty of the force was concerned. was in prac- tice one of decentralized authority. Now the reins are in one hand Formerly, while d constable was supervised by his sergeant, the sergeant by the inspector and the superintendent was supreme over all three-as is the case today-no one es- Actively supervised the superintendent. This is not so now. The commissioner had power by law to do so, either per- sonally or through a. chief constable, but 1t was rarely done In old days. Conss- quently. each division was governed in practice by separate master; and for all working purposes the future of a consta- ble or an officer of the lower ranks lay in the hands of the superintendent alone, and the efficiency of the men in a d- vision or the reverse depended principally upon the capacity of that officer.
 All this Is changed. The men and of ficers of each station, though still under the supervision of superintendent, whose orders they must all obey, are no longer under a man who was often a law unto himself and able to rule the destines of the 300 to 600 men under his command. Now every breach of discipline that oc- CUTS within his division, however trival, must be reported at once to Scotland Yard. The superintendent can innict no punishment, beyond a few days suspen- sion from duty for a specific offense, without authority from headquarters. In place of his individual judgment board of discipline" has been established, which is composed of an assistant commissioner, chief constable, and superintendent of another division. To this board a consta- ble may appeal even against reprimand, if he holds this to be unJustly given And, if the board confirms the decision of the superintendent, the constable has the right of appeal to the commissioner in person. | Nor is this change, fundamental as it Is, | the only difference between the old sys- | tenn and the new. Formerly, though | superintendent governed in his own di- l vision, no encouragement was given him | to report to headquarters any improve | ments in organization which experience, | ability, or circumstances with his depart | ment might suggest to his mind He had | his place and duty, and must keep to it | under penalties. Now, superintendents | have informed me, they find they are 1 welcome at Scotland Yard if they have | any suggestions to make for the greater 1 efficiency of the men; and it is said that l at times the commissioner himself ques- | tions them and invites their confidence. l Waited for Complaints. | Tr, da fha f,~od