whitechapel

• • Many people lived in areas known as Rookeries, which were densely over-populated areas filled with lodging houses.
• There were two main social reformers who were actively trying to improve the area: George Peabody and Charles Booth.
• • George Peabody acted following the planned slum clearance of 1876, by deciding to build a new block of flats known as the Peabody Estate.
• • Each block was surrounded by a yard to improve ventilation.
  • They were built from brick and were unplastered to prevent damp and lice living in the plaster.
  • There were also shared bathrooms and kitchens.
• Problems with Peabody Estate

  • Sadly the rents were too high for the average Whitechapel resident to afford.
  • Tenants that did secure a flat often fell behind on their rents and, as a result, were thrown out onto the streets.
• • Charles Booth was a businessman and social reformer.
  • He set about creating maps of the Whitechapel area to research the situation of poverty.
  • His maps tried to demonstrate how bad poverty was in the area.
  • His work influenced government policy makers at the time.
• The relationship between drink and crime

  • This dependency led to a rise in crime as many resorted to this to fund their needs. 
  • However, alcohol also left Whitechapel residents vulnerable to crime.
  • The victims of Jack the Ripper were believed to have been alcohol dependent too which led to them being targets.
• • Immigrants were attracted to the work available in the copious Tanneries, where leather is processed, sweatshops, slaughter houses and butchers.
• • Often the lives of female prostitutes were dictated by a dependence on alcohol leading them to this type of work to fund their habit.
  • Many would find work to afford their drink and then find further work once the money ran out to fund their board for the night.
• • H Division covered the policing of the Whitechapel area.
  • There were around 500 police to cover a population of approximately 176,000 people
• The Metropolitan Police was established in 1829. Across London, the police were split into different divisions.
• • The Metropolitan Police was ultimately controlled by the Home Secretary but the day to day running of the force was down to a commissioner.
• Edmund Henderson

  • Edmund Henderson held the position of Commissioner from 1870 - 1886.
  • He is best remembered for being the man responsible for reducing the standards in the force; namely reducing the amount of military drill and allowing police officers to grow beards. 
  • However, he was also responsible for increasing literacy standards and furthermore he led the changes to the detective force.
• Corruption

  • In 1878 there was a scandal in the detective force, which had been established in 1842.
  • Corruption was a real problem and as a result, Henderson formed a new force which became known as CID - Criminal Investigation Department.
• Charles Warren

  • Charles Warren took over in 1886 but the Home Secretary at the time Henry Matthews disliked Warren.
  • Warren’s main aim was to raise standards in the police, reversing some of the changes made by Henderson.
• Charles Warren using army techniques in the police

  • Drill was increased and the standards for recruitment were also raised.
  • Many worried that the police was becoming more like an army.
• The beat

  • Officers would be expected to walk the beat as this was the main tactic the force had to prevent and tackle crime.
  • The beat was timed and officers had to patrol a specific area.
• Beat routes

  • Officers also had to be at particular points along the route at certain times.
  • This was the only way the Sergeant would be able to ensure that officers were safe and contactable. 
  • The beat was varied and routes were changed in order to stop would-be criminals predicting the whereabouts of an officer and committing a crime.
• Crime scene photography

  • Crime scene photography was in its infancy but the City of London police were keen to use this method.
• Sketches

  • Crime scene sketches were taken and added to other evidence from murder scenes.
• Autopsies

  • Autopsies were carried out of the Ripper victims.
  • Police surgeons were also used to construct ‘profiles’ of the killer in an attempt to identify possible suspects.
• Witness statements

  • Witness statements and interviews were also used to build evidence at the scenes of crime.
  • The main problem with this was the type of people that were being interviewed were not often all that reliable.
• The alleyways in Whitechapel

  • The area of Whitechapel was a maze of alleyways and the majority of people lived in tenement buildings.
  • The alleyways provided plenty of shelter for a criminal to hide and furthermore areas for crimes to be committed and undetected.
• The transient population

  • The population was transient, meaning people moved around from place to place, so this made tracking people down very difficult.
  • Doss houses did not keep records of who stayed there so there was no way of knowing who was sleeping where.
• The media

  • The newspaper sensationalised the stories of the Ripper murders.
  • Witnesses were interviewed for the newspapers, giving lurid stories about the goings on in Whitechapel.
  • Cartoons would depict the police as inept and incompetent. 
  • The press also published letters claiming to be from Jack the Ripper.
  • It was one of these that gave the Ripper his nickname.
• The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee

  • George Lusk, a builder from Whitechapel felt that the police were not doing enough to try to catch Jack the Ripper.
  • The Vigilance Committee was established as a result, where the local residents took matters ‘into their own hands’. 
  • The committee hired private detectives to investigate the killings.
  • They also offered rewards for information.
  • This was a method that often caused more harm than good as people would come forward with false information
• Police becoming more like an army


  A concern or worry that the police force is adopting military-style tactics, training, and culture.