C&P

• Careful Observation - Facts

  From the early 1880's, police used a set of instructions designed by the head of the CID to improve the way they collected evidence, known as the ' police code '. Constables were require to keep the crime scene clear of onlookers before an inspector detective arrive, ensure that evidence was not disturbed, keep a careful note of the scene.
• Careful Observation - Evaluate

  However this was not always possible. On the night of Mary Nichols' murder in Buck's Row, the doctor on duty called for an 'ambulance' (wheeled stretcher) before careful notes of the crime scene were taken meaning the process was not always carried out effectively. .
• Photographing and sketches

  During the investigation into the Whitechapel murders, they increased their use of photography because they were working alongside the City of London Police, who used photography more often.
• Photographes and sketches

  Photographs were taken at the scene of Mary Kelly's murder, both outside and inside her apartment, to record the crime scene. The City of London police collected detailed drawing of Metre Square, where Catherine Eddowes was killed along with my doctor afterwards.
• Interviews

  The police visited a number of houses, pubs and mental health hospitals. They interviewed more than 2,000 people following the murder of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. Consequently, the police followed up with 300 lines of enquiry and 80 arrests across London for further investigation and questioning.
• Problems caused by the media

  Newspapers criticised the police and said that they should have been doing more to catch the murder. They printed cartoons of the police that presented them as incompetent and highlighted their inability to catch the murderer. They sensationalized stories to sell copies. This was also due to the fact that the police did not give them much information so relied on speaking to the people of Whitechapel for information leading to untrue and exaggerated stories - mounting the pressure on the police.
• Problems caused by the media

  The media stirred up racial hatred. They were convinced that an 'Englishman' could not have committed such awful crimes. Many rumours were spread through the papers. For example, the idea that John pizer a Jewish Cobbler known as 'leather apron' was in fact the perpetrator of such crimes. However, Pizer had an alibi and was released from police custody. False leads such as those concocted by the media drew police time away from the investigation.
• The work of H Division

  H division was responsible for the policing of Whitechapel. It was run by a superintendent constable and chief inspector, with a hierarchy of policemen working under them including inspectors, sergeants, constables and detectives. At its peak in 1888, there were 575 police officers, including constables and detectives, for the population of about 37,000 in Whitechapel. The most common type of crime dealt with was disorderly behaviour.
• The role of the beat constable

  The role was to prevent crime by being an obvious presence on the streets of Whitechapel and to arrest those caught committing a crime. The beat con. would patrol a specific area, most often alone, by walking a route given to him by his sergeant.
• The role of the beat constable

  They were given precise instructions about the speed and nature of their walking. It would have been a gentle pace. They would walk close to the houses at night and keep to the kerb during the day.
• The development of the CID

  The Criminal Investigation Department of the Met was set up in 1878. It was done as there had been a department to detect crime before this but it was quite ineffective. They were based in Scotland Yard in Westminster but detectives still worked in local divisions so they knew their areas and the people well.
• Commissioner Sir Charles Warren


  Warren was appointed Met Commissioner in 1886. He gained a bad name due to an event called 'Bloody Sunday'. This was where he banned a socialist protest on Trafalgar Square on 13 November 1887. When the protestors ignored the ban, he deployed thousands of police, supported by about 1000 men from the army. Violent clashes followed and many people were injured and one protestor later died.
• Commissioner Sir Charles Warren

  Warren had very bad relations 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.
• Police recruits for the Met

  Typical recruits were young working-class men of good, honest character. Most came from outside London and were attracted by the relatively good pay. They were often from the countryside and had backgrounds in labouring or farm work - this meant they were bigger and healthier.
• Overcrowded Housing

  Much of Whitechapel contained rookeries (slum housing). Houses were divided into several apartments sometimes with 30 people in each. In 1881 , Whitechapel’s 30,709 people lived in 4,069 houses - on average 7.5 in each. There was very poor sanitation.
• Homelessness


  There were “lodging houses”, where homeless people could sleep in 8-hour shifts. They had terrible unhygienic conditions including heat, rats and shared beds. Around a quarter of Whitechapel's population lived in lodging houses.
• Flower and Dean Street - WC Housing example

  It had narrow yards, dilapidated houses, very cramped rooms, and poor sewerage. It had a terrible reputation for prostitution, thieves and violent crime. Modern police profiling of the crimes suggests that, along with two of his victims, the Ripper probably lived on Flower and Dean Street.
• The Peabody Estate

  1881, George Peabody funded slum clearance and the creation of 286 flats in the Peabody Estate. Rents were from 3 to 6 shillings for 1 and 3-room flats respectively (average labourer income was 22 shillings).
• Lack of employment opportunities

  High unemployment was rampant because of an economic depression, and few jobs were available to women so many turned to prostitution to survive. Those who had jobs worked long hours for low pay in factories in ' sweated ' trades, where conditions were cramped and dirty. Or, worked building railways or in the dockyards. The pay was better but there was no job or income security so weekly incomes varied enormously.
• Workhouses

  These were seen as the last resort and there was a heavy stigma around them. They offered a bed and food in return for hard labour. Conditions were deliberately poor to keep costs down and to dissuade people from using them. Families were split up and inmates had to wear a uniform. The people enjoyed little or no privacy including sleeping in soulless dormitories
• Orphanages

  In 1870 Dr Thomas Barnardo set up his first orphanage. By 1905, 100 Barnardo homes were caring for 8,500 orphans. Conditions were much better than that in the workhouses.
• The link between the environment and crime

  1. Low-income levels led to stealing for survival by those desperate to avoid the workhouse.
  2. Unreliable work meant many had a lot of ' spare ' time, which led to alcoholism, disruptive behaviour and violence.
  3. Overcrowding led to tensions between residents, which often spilt over into violence.
  4. High levels of prostitution led to an increase in violence against women.
• Fluctuating Population

  The prevalence of lodging houses (temporary accommodation) in Whitechapel meant that many temporary residents had no interest in fostering any sense of community .
• Irish Immigrants

  Irish immigration expanded rapidly from the 1840s. The Irish community was frequently engaged in low-skill manual labour such as being navvies on roads and railways or as dockers. They had a reputation for being drunk and violent. They were also associated with terrorists, such as the Fenians, who were seen as fanatical terrorists fighting for Ireland's independence from Britain.
• Anarchists

  Anarchists wanted a revolution in which all laws and authority would be swept away. They committed many political assassinations in Europe and America in the late 19th century. There was concern that anarchist groups might commit crimes in Britain. This is because many revolutionaries ended up in London's East End.
• Socialists

  Socialists wanted to bring down the existing capitalist system. There was evidence of growing working-class support led by parties such as the Social Democratic Federation - which the authorities saw as dangerous. There were some links between socialist groups and the Jewish community.
• Tensions due to immigration

  1. Tension between locals and immigrants over access to housing and jobs.
  2. Anyone with a foreign accent was suspected of being a violent revolutionary. Antisemitism and violence against Jews rose rapidly.