What was crime and punishment like during World War Two?

Part ofHistoryCrime and punishmentYear 3Year 4

Watch: punishing crime during World War Two

Watch the video to find out about crime and punishment in Britain during World War Two.

Back to top

Life and crime during World War Two

Rescue workers searching through the wreckage of a police station in Coventry following the Luftwaffe air raid on 8th April, 1941
Rescue workers searching through the wreckage of a police station in Coventry following the Luftwaffe air raid on 8th April, 1941.

  • World War Two was fought between 1939 and 1945.

  • The government introduced new rules such as blackouts, air raid warnings and rationing.

  • Towns and cities, had no lights at night and so crime increased.

  • In many cities, lots of houses and shops were bombed. Stealing and robbery happened more.

Rescue workers searching through the wreckage of a police station in Coventry following the Luftwaffe air raid on 8th April, 1941
Rescue workers searching through the wreckage of a police station in Coventry following the Luftwaffe air raid on 8th April, 1941.
Back to top

Did you know?

Mavis looking to the right at the text
  • During the war, BritishDoubleSummer Time was temporarily introduced.
  • This meant the clocks went forward two hours from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) rather than one hour.
  • This was done to increase the nation's productivity and help the war effort.
Back to top

Police duties increase due to the war

A policeman on point duty in the blackout wearing a long white coat and helmet with an illuminated sign saying 'Police'.
A policeman on traffic duty in the blackout. His helmet has a light up sign saying 'Police' and he carries red and green hand lamps to control traffic.
  • The Police also had new wartime duties. They had to make sure people obeyed the wartime blackout rules, help the rescue services during and after bombing raids and search for soldiers who had deserted (run away) from the army.
  • Many police were called blackout bobbies because they had to make sure that no light from houses and shops could be seen outside. This was to protect buildings from German bombers flying overhead.
A policeman on point duty in the blackout wearing a long white coat and helmet with an illuminated sign saying 'Police'.
A policeman on traffic duty in the blackout. His helmet has a light up sign saying 'Police' and he carries red and green hand lamps to control traffic.
Back to top

Punishing criminals during the war

A policeman on a bicycle blows his whistle to warn the public of an imminent air raid.
A policeman on a bicycle blows his whistle to warn the public of an imminent air raid.

  • Looting was a big problem. The number of bombed properties meant stealing increased. Many were given fines or short prison sentences.

  • Black market: Selling items on the black market, with no ration card, could mean a fine and imprisonment.

  • Murder rates increased dramatically during the war. Murder carried the death penalty.

A policeman on a bicycle blows his whistle to warn the public of an imminent air raid.
A policeman on a bicycle blows his whistle to warn the public of an imminent air raid.
Back to top

Activities

Activity 1: WW2 crime quiz

Back to top

Help this team of adventurers race their way to victory. Explore the globe in this exciting game update to discover new audio voiced by Ade Adepitan and fun animations. Challenge yourself with brand-new achievements and become a high-flyer!

Race Across the Continents game - new update!
Back to top

More on Crime and punishment

Find out more by working through a topic