Re-thinking the Origins of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch 1887-1909 Mohamed Majothi PhD Researcher Brunel University [email protected] 1st April 2015 Theme
Following its creation in 1887 until 1909, Special Branch’s main function very quickly became the provision of Close Protection to Royalty and Political dignitaries.
Thus, its Intelligence and surveillance activities were mainly to provide support for its Protection role and not necessarily for supressing political activity.
Presentation Plan
• Introduction • Methodology • Background – Conventional Wisdom • Definitions – Political Policing/Political Crime • ‘High Policing’ Theory • Nature of Threat – 1887-1914 • Government Responses • Some Supporting Evidence • Summary & Conclusion Methodology
• Context – Domestic Threat Environment • Problem – Perception of Domestic Threat • Solution – Government Measures Special Branch History & Early Functions
• 1883 - Special Irish Branch Formed – London Based with local remit only – Against Fenian Dynamite Threat The main role of Special – Some Officers on Ports Du es Branch, since 1909, was to – Dignitary Protec on act as the execu ve arm of • 1887- Special Branch Formed the Security Service, so its – Ini ally against Fenian threat then Anarchists – Na onal Remit func ons are s ll shrouded – Government Enquiries in secrecy – Ports Policing – Dignitary Protec on
• 2006 – Special Branch abolished in London – Dignitary Protec on retained by the Metropolitan Police
Conventional wisdom (1)
• “..no political police existed before the formation of Special Branch in 1883.”
• “The Special Branch was officially formed in 1883 to combat Fenian Bombings in London”
• The work of the [...] Branch was to to keep political militants of the Irish movements under observation…and to supervise the guarding of the Queen and her Ministers.”
• The area of political activity to come to the Branch’s attention next was that of foreign immigrant groups, in particular, the anarchists.” (Bunyan, 1985) Conventional wisdom (2)
• “Vincent (the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department) recommended the creation of a specialist squad to track down the Fenian dynamiters…A Special Irish Branch was hastily formed.” “(it) was known to the rest of Scotland Yard as the Political Branch.”
• “The idea of a political ‘secret’ police was an entirely alien concept fro Londoners.”
• “Special Branch.. provided a useful source of …bodyguards to potential victims of assassination.”
(Allason, 1983) Conventional wisdom (3)
• “Special Branch …main targets are Irish and International terrorists, as they were in the 1880s.”
• “Anarchists and Fenians,…, were systematically recorded, watched and infiltrated , and possibly encouraged to commit indictable crimes.”
• “This transformation (turned) the Branch eventually into a full-scale political one.” (Porter, 1987) Definitions
• “Policing Political Activities” – “Police interven ons in the struggles taking place inside society over the possession and exercise of state power” (Brodeur, 1983) • “Political Police” – “A(secret) body of detec ves charged with keeping a watch on poten al subversives, and with preven ng or punishing… Poli cal Crime”(Porter, 1) • “Political Crime” or “Crimes of a Political Character” – Deliberately undefined in English Law – too difficult! Definitions
• Crimes against the State – “an external a ack against the state, its very existence and its laws.” – such as treason or sedi on – “an internal a ack against the agents of the state, its government and its poli cal ins tu ons.” (Szabo, 14) Or
"Political crimes" then would be offences against the external political order, such as independence of the nation and territorial integrity or the internal political order, such as the established political institutions and their functioning. (Passas, 1986)
Questions?
1. Why was the Metropolitan Police providing Protection?
2. Why did the Special Irish Branch start providing dignitary Protection?
3. Why did Special Branch continue to provide Protection ? Queen Victoria – Attacks
October 1837
10 June 1840 29 May 1842
30 May 1842 (Rappaport, 2001) 3 July 1842 19 May 1849 27 June 1850 29 Feb 1872 2 March 1882 High/Low Policing (HLP) Theory
“High Policing” – ‘Political Policing’ or Police activity to monitor & supress political activity against the State
“Low Policing” - Conventional Law and Order
Attributes of ‘High Policing’ 1. Secrecy 2. Collec on & Colla on of Intelligence 3. Use of Agents and informants 4. Extra-judicious
(Brodeur, 1983)
Special Branch Methodology
• Ports • Open source • Overt • Shadowing • Informants • Disguises ‘High Policing' Methods • Registry • Infiltration • Secrecy Context –Threats 1881-1914
Irish 1881-1892 Monitored
Anarchist 1887-1905 1 German Spies 1904-1914 9 1
Suffrage es 1905-1914 4
Indian 1909-1914
Industrial 1909-1914 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s Possible Nature of Threat to the UK
• Anarchist inspired Dynamiting & Assassination! – Internal Threat – Physical A acks on Royalty and Government Officials • German Espionage – External Threat to the State – Spying • Suffragettes – Internal Threat – Physical A acks on Government officials • Indian Nationalists – Internal Threat – Physical A acks on Government officials • Industrial Unrest - ?????? Assassination & Attempts 1880s
• March 1881 – Tsar Alexander II is killed in a bomb blast.
• Oct 1881 – Random attack on rich businessman in France
• 1882 – Assassination Lord Cavendish in Dublin
• 1882 – Attempted assassination – Queen Victoria
• Sept 1883 – Attempted assassination German Kaiser
• Jan 1885 – Frankfurt police chief stabbed to death
• May 1886 – Haymarket bombing in Chicago Assassinations 1890s
• 1894 - Sadi Camot, President of France
• 1897 - Antonio Canovas del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain
• 1898 - Empress Elisabeth of Austria
• 1900 - Umberto I, King of Italy
• 1901- William McKinley, President of the United States Government Action
• Legal – Extradi on Act 1870, but unable to extradite for ‘poli cal’ offences – Dynamite Act 1883 – Aliens Act 1905 • Executive – Counter-Espionage - Security Service – Protec on - Special Branch – Monitoring - Special Branch Some Evidence: Special Branch Numbers
Year(s) Number of officers 1887 4 officers 1892 25 Officers- (Special Irish Branch subsumed into Special Branch) Available officers’ 1909-1938 38 Officers not including Ports officers du es would include • Suffrage e and Indian threat (Porter, 1987) • Naturaliza on enquires following Aliens Act 1905 shadowing, route clearances and covert 1914 114 Officers, including 33 Ports Officers route lining in support • Minimum of 10 officers on Protec on Duty, augmented when necessary. Unlikely to be of Protec on. different from requirements in 1887. • 16 officers available for general enquiries. (TNA MEPO 2/1643) Some Evidence: Special Branch Officer Quotes
• “ ‘Special Branch’, ..newly formed ..at Scotland Yard to cover the work of guarding Royalty” – Wri en about events in 1907 (Brust, 1936)
• “…to check the the growing menace of political murders, the “Special Department’ was formed in the early ‘eighties”. – Fitch joined Special Branch in 1905 (Fitch, 1933)
• “The Special Branch grew out of the need for protecting Ministers and gradually became concerned with watching Anarchists and other dangerous persons.” – Basil Thomson, minute of evidence given to the Secret Service Commi ee 1919 (TNA KV Series) Summary
• Special Branch performed the Protection function as it had the necessary ‘High Policing’ skillset to gather intelligence to support its operation.
• The main internal threat in the UK was that of violent attacks against Royalty and Ministers.
• Special Branch intelligence activities were directed mainly at resident foreign groups and then Suffragettes, when only they started attacking government Ministers.
• Conclusion: Purpose of Special Branch intelligence gathering was to support police operations in Protection of dignitaries and not necessarily for interference or suppression of political activities.