Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies

2.6The Birth of the Detective

The branch was headed by Nicholas Pearce; it however remained small and over the first twenty-five years it increased just from eight men to fifteen (Emsley, CSE 237). In 1878 the detective branch was transformed into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) under the command of Howard Vincent who expanded it to 800 men in the mid 1880s (Emsley, CSE 237). In 1883 Vincent set up the Special Irish Branch which, as the Special Branch, would become the first specialized squad originating from the CID (“CID”).

The first decades of the detective branch were marked by their frequent tours to the regions where the creation of detective branches was patchy. Since then, there has been the point of contention between the Scotland Yard man and the local police, who disapproved of other forces taking over their cases, especially as they did not have any command of the detectives. As the Scotland Yard became the centre of innovation and forensics, the demand for the Scotland-Yard man even increased.

The detectives were soon required to work on complicated murder cases, robberies and in the second half of the century also on cases of embezzlement and corporate fraud. In contrast to the uniformed policemen the detectives worked against white-collar, very clever villains (Wade 52). The detectives were required to perform surveillance and plain-clothes observations and it became necessary for them to participate in criminal networks (Wade 61). Since the very beginning, the plain-clothes detectives were not very popular with uniformed officers, the reasons being detectives’ higher salaries, superior status and greater working flexibility (Rawlings 176). As the differences in their work enlarged, more training and expertise was necessary for the detectives and the gap between the uniformed and plain-clothes policemen widened.

The origins of the private detective, a figure so celebrated in popular fiction, were not so bright. According to Wade, the private detective appeared when it became possible to obtain a divorce without a private act of parliament in the mid-Victorian period (58). Nonetheless, it was necessary to produce evidence of adultery and it became the work of most private detectives to secure it. Their work, although widely sought for, was considered insulting and the private detective a person “whose mere existence leaves an exceptionally offensive taste in the mouth” (Wade 58). Professional detectives worked in the CID and the Special Branch and the private eyes remained the divorce-men well until the twentieth century.

2.7The Bobby in the Wars

During the war the policemen had to face other challenges, increasing workload and decreasing wages in particular. “In 1914 the police forces of England and Wales amounted to just over 53,000 men, and most of these were of military age. [...] By the end of the first year of the world war about one man in five had gone from the provincial forces to the military, and the depletion of the Metropolitan Police was even greater” (Emsley, EP 121). The police forces then sought help at other forces and a chief constable of one force temporarily took command of another force. Other forces called in special constables from the pre-war period.⁵ As the number of officers leaving the forces for the front increased, the remaining officers had to serve more hours. The weekly rest day was cancelled in 1914; at the end of 1915 the officers were allowed to have one rest day in a fortnight (Klein). Some of those who were not recruited for the war service left the force for financial reasons. “A London policeman’s wage was comparable to that of an agricultural worker or unskilled labourer. The cost of living had more than doubled during the First World War, but police had received a pay rise of only 3 shillings since 1914” (Stratton). By contrast, the industry was thriving during the war and the wages were growing. Consequently, some policemen left their work and put more strain on the remaining members.

This situation prepared the ideal ground for the Police Union and also the police strikes of 1918 and 1919. “Faced with poverty and deteriorating labour conditions, the police were inspired by the militancy of other workers” (Jones) and in August 1918 went out on strike. Although the strike was confined to London and took just a week, the police were promised a pay rise, widows’ pensions and war bonuses (Emsley, EP 132). The idea of a police union was disliked by many and politicians began to look for ways by which the police might be prevented from belonging to a union. This incited other protests and the police went out on a strike again. Although this strike spread to other parts of the country, it did not win such support as the 1918 strike. Most policemen were satisfied with the pay rise they had received and did not join the protest. Those who did were all dismissed (Emsley, EP 135) and the police have not struck since then.

In the inter-war period, the police returned to the Victorian and Edwardian tradition (Emsley, GBB 203). They still patrolled their strictly designated beats, dealt with petty thefts, drunkenness and indecent behaviour. With the growing number of motor vehicles they found themselves more often involved with the propertied classes, but they remained preoccupied with the working class and the poor. The economic crisis of the 1930s brought a wave of industrial disorder and hunger marches; and the police were again deployed to keep peace in the streets. The decade before the Second World War was characterized by fear of subversion and communism, and the police were encouraged by the Home Office to crack down on potential offenders.

At the outburst of the war more women and military reservists were called to service. Despite the provision, the “police numbers fell during the war, from 57,000 in 1940 to 43,000 four years later” (Emsley, GBB 232). The reduced ranks had to deal with increasing criminality, thefts and car accidents connected with the blackouts in particular, and helping with clearing the streets after air raids; they looked for men who deserted or avoided conscription and enforced wartime restrictions. During the war more women became involved in policing and in contrast to the First World War, they were not about to leave when the war ended.