The Metropolitan Police

• Metropolitan police

  covered the London area and was the biggest and most important force in the country.

  led by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police who reported directly to the Home Secretary.

  around 13,500 police officers to deal with the 5M

  split into 20 Divisions known by a letter of the alphabet. The Metropolitan Police also had a detective force, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), with around 300 detectives The CID was set up in 1878 by Howard Vincent after the ‘Trial of the Detectives’

  (1877) which exposed corruption in the previous detective force. 
• what were typical recruits like

   young working-class men of good, honest character.

  • The wages were secure and the job had promotion opportunities. Police officers had a regular ‘beat’ which meant they would patrol on-foot around a set area. They carried a truncheon, handcuffs, a whistle, a lamp, and their note book. Constables kept records in their beat diaries and regularly met and discussed events with their sergeant. There was a focus on observation, stopping and questioning and chasing and apprehending suspected criminals
• who was charles warren?

   a former army general, was appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1886.He gained a reputation for using the army to boost police numbers and for using aggressive policing methods against working-class political demonstrations, such as “Bloody Sunday” in 1887.  Warren had a poor relationship with the Home Secretary, Henry Matthews, and, after the failure of the Ripper investigation in 1888, was forced to resign. Warren wrote to the press to blame much of the failure of the Ripper investigation on weak political leadership. 
• Difficulties of police in whitechapel

  Location -criminals could hide from police or lay in wait for victims in the rookeries and alleys. 

  Alcohol –  a major cause of domestic violence. Being drunk also made people more vulnerable to crime.

  Pubs – meeting point for people. Gambling and prostitution

  Gangs – ran protection rackets

  Prostitution – was not illegal at this time. It was often a last resort for desperate women who had no other way to earn a living.

  Immigration – led to tension. Immigrants suspicious of the police ,unlikely to go to the police if they were a victim of crime
• Useful Historical Sources:?

  National Newspaper Reports – These will give an idea of how events were reported to the public and therefore shape public opinion of people or events.

  Home Office Records – The Home Office, created in 1782, is a government department responsible for crime and policing. They hold records on anything related to crime and policing and so would be a good resource to find out more about things like the Bloody Sunday incident or the Trial of the Detectives.