whitechapel

• Flower and Dean street (1870)


  . houses in terrible conditions. poor sanitation , disease. hot spot for crime , drunkards and sex workers. a well known area by the police. 1871 census - 902 lodgers living in 31 doss houses on the street
• South Grove Workhouse


  . located on Bucks Row. harsh rules. tasks included :- breaking stones- chopping wood- picking apart old rope- cleaning and working in kitchens , Aim of work was deterrence
• The Peabody Estate


  . area of land purchased by the government called the Royal Mint and sold to the Peabody Trust . new affordable flats built . 3 shillings for a 1 room flat per week . by 1881 , 287 flats had been built which houses 30,000 Londoners . improved ventilation and sanitation . Bathrooms , kitchens , laundry rooms. shared courtyard. despite this many could not afford to live here
• Problems facing H division


  . The environment - dark , narrow alleyways and overcrowded streets. Prostitution -by 1888 there were around 1200 in whitechapel. Alcohol - drunkenness often fuelled violence. Gangs - large professional gangs employed individuals. Violent demonstrations - public protests were fairly common and often needed large police forces to deal with them. Protection rackets - gangs such as the 'Bessarabian Tigers' demanded protection money to protect peoples business , refusal lead to property damage and violence
• Whitechapel Murders


  Between August and November 1888 a series of murders took place in Whitechapel primarily aimed at female prostitutes : Mary Ann Nichols , Annie Chapman , Elizabeth Stride , Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly
• Rivalry between police forces causing problems

  The two forces involved in the murders ( City of London Police and The Metropolitan Police) were completely separate and their involvement and lack of communication caused issues in the investigationCity of London Police was an independent forceThe Met Police was under control of Charles Warren
• Newspapers

  The Whitechapel murders were a great opportunity for newspapers to attract attention . They often sensationalised stories and details of the murders using fake information and witness statements .Rumours created in newspapers lead to dead ends and suspects going into hiding , often putting off the investigation and delaying it
• Whitechapel Vigilance Committee (1888)


  Set up by businessman George Lusk who was annoyed at the failure of the police to offer an award for information provided about the murders . The Home Secretary Henry Matthews had refused this as he claimed it would encourage time wasters