Crime and punishment in Whitechapel, c.1870-c.1900 - EdexcelPolicing in Whitechapel

The Metropolitan Police was split into 20 divisions. Each was responsible for policing a different area of London.

The organisation of policing in Whitechapel

Before they were assigned to a division, new constables of the Metropolitan Police were given two weeks’ training in drill exercises (eg marching to order) followed by one week of beat duty alongside a more experienced constable.

H Division

H Division was responsible for the policing of Whitechapel. H Division was run by a superintendent constable and a chief inspector, with a hierarchy of policemen working under them including inspectors, sergeants, constables and detectives. In 1885 the division was run by a superintendent, a chief inspector, 27 inspectors and 37 sergeants. The sergeants supervised around 500 constables, who went out on the beat. The number of police in H Division went up and down. At its peak during 1888, there were 575 police officers, including constables and detectives, for the population of about 37,000 in Whitechapel.

Leman Street Police Station was the main station for H Division and the Whitechapel area. Unfortunately, most of the records of this police station at the end of the 19th century have not survived. However, the 1881 Census lists two sergeants, 42 police constables and six prisoners staying there on the night of the census.

The most common type of crime that H Division constables would have dealt with was disorderly behaviour. This would have been closely followed by crimes against property, such as theft or fraud, and crimes of violence.

The role of the beat constable

The role of the beat constable was to prevent crime by being an obvious presence on the streets of Whitechapel, and to arrest those caught committing a crime.

The beat constable’s uniform included:

• woollen trousers and a deep blue-black jacket with shiny buttons
• custodian helmet, designed to deflect a downward blow to the side
• a truncheon, which a constable could use to defend himself from attack
• handcuffs
• an oil-fired bull’s-eye lamp, which gave out heat as well as light to keep the constable warm and allow him to creep up on suspected criminals by hiding behind the flame
• a black and white stripped armband to show they were on duty

The beat constable would patrol a specific area, most often alone, by walking a route given to him by his sergeant. During the day this route took about 30 minutes, but at night it was shorter and took about 15 minutes. The beat constable was expected to know the route of their beat as well as shops, warehouses, pubs, alleyways and yards that led off their route.

The constable would be expected to reach specific places at certain times so that his sergeant could meet him and contact him when necessary. Beat constables were given precise instructions about the speed and nature of their walking, including walking at a gentle pace, walking close to houses at night and keeping to the kerb side of the pavement during the day.

Before going out on duty, a beat constable would study lists of wanted criminals or crimes that had happened before their shift began. If a beat constable was found away from his route or missed a crime committed in his area without good explanation, he could either be fined or dismissed.

The development of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)

In 1870, Commissioner Edmund Henderson decided to recruit more detectives to work alongside the constables to use their local knowledge. In 1877 there was a reorganisation, and the detectives were put under the control of a new single organisation called the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), based at Scotland Yard in Westminster. The detectives still worked in local divisions so that they knew their areas and the people well.

The day-to-day work of the detectives included:

• working in plain clothes so that they could follow suspects
• looking out for criminals who repeatedly committed crime
• supervising criminals who had been released from prison early for good behaviour
• observing and gathering information from their divisions

The difficulties of policing in Whitechapel

The unemployment and poverty in Whitechapel made it an area of London where lots of crime took place. The police in Whitechapel faced many difficulties.

Slums

The densely packed rookeries and the dark, unlit alleyways and yards all made policing difficult. This was because criminals could watch for victims and quickly hide after committing crimes.

Alcohol

• Alcohol caused some people to become more vulnerable to becoming victims of crime.
• Alcohol also made disputes worse, leading to violence. Moreover, it caused problems for police constables who were trying to obtain information about a crime from drunk witnesses and victims.
• Very strong drink was available to all but the very poorest people, and there were 45 pubs and gins houses in Whitechapel - one on almost every street corner.

Prostitution

Prostitution, or as it is now known, sex work, was not a crime in itself, but some women resorted to sex work when they were in need of money, unable to work, forced by someone else, or affected by alcoholism. Prostitution was therefore regarded as a social problem that needed to be monitored.

• This work made women more vulnerable to crime, such as violent attacks and rape.
• Sex work was not stable or safe work, and also led some women to engage in petty crimes, such as theft.
• With no available contraception, dangerous backstreet abortions became common. Women often died from surgical shock or infection.
• The Victorians tended to see these women as ‘unfortunates’ and were not sympathetic towards them. The police did not aid the women either.
• Therefore, the police usually turned a blind eye to their plight.

Few recognised that the alternative to sex work was usually starvation for these women. By 1888, it was estimated that there were 62 brothels and 1,200 sex workers in Whitechapel.

Gangs

• Well-organised gangs developed that were involved in illegal pubs and unlicensed boxing matches.
• Some gangs, such as the Bessarabian Tigers and Odessians, also organised protection rackets, which took money from people in return for protecting them from attacks. If people refused to pay, they would have their shops or market stall attacked and destroyed.
• Gangs and protection rackets preyed on immigrants, who were already wary of the police and rarely reported crimes due to language or cultural barriers.
• Additionally, because H Division was undermanned, there was no attempt to shut down fights or gangs’ criminal activities.

Immigration

The presence of migrants in Whitechapel also caused tensions.

• There were many stories in newspapers accusing these groups of criminal activity.
• Police constables also had to respond to protests from some Jewish migrants about the low wages they were receiving for the long hours they had to work.
• These protests caused problems for the police, who arrested the leaders on some occasions after violence had occurred.

Attacks on Jewish people

Anti-Semitism and suspicion made life hard for Jewish people living in Whitechapel.

• Jewish people were racially characterised by some as greedy and dishonest, and newspapers reported stories of crimes and attacks carried out against Jewish people.
• Jewish migrants spoke Yiddish and so it was hard for the Whitechapel police to communicate with them.
• Jewish migrants did not trust the police because of how they had been treated by the police in Eastern Europe or the Russian Empire, so they would try to prevent or resolve problems within their own communities.

Views towards the police in Whitechapel

In Whitechapel the police were viewed more negatively than in other areas of London because of the widespread poverty. The police were often attacked by violent gangs as they were seen as the upholders of unpopular government decisions.

When public protests took place, it was very often the police who were attacked. An economic depression hit East London hard in the 1870s and 1880s. When protests occurred as a result, police were called in to calm the situation. However, they were seen not as upholders of the law but as the instruments of the government’s unpopular decisions.

Despite this, some people recognised the good work of the H Division police in providing soup kitchens and looking after homeless or stray children.