A Constable's Perspective of the Detraditionalisation of Policing in a Small County Borough Police Force, 1947-1968
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This full text version, available on TeesRep, is the final version of this PhD Thesis: Rigg, K. (2013) From 'pounding the pavement' to 'pushing the pedal': a constable's perspective of the detraditionalisation of policing in a small county borough police force, 1947-1968. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Teesside University This document was downloaded from http://tees.openrepository.com/tees/handle/10149/301646 All items in TeesRep are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. TeesRep: Teesside University's Research Repository http://tees.openrepository.com/tees/ From ‘Pounding the Pavement’ to ‘Pushing the Pedal’: A Constable’s Perspective of the Detraditionalisation of Policing in a Small County Borough Police Force, 1947-1968. Kevin Rigg A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Teesside University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2013 Table of Contents List of accompanying material ......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement .......................................................................................................................... iv Author’s declaration ....................................................................................................................... iv Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. vi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: A framework for examining the detraditionalisation of the police, 1947-1968…. ........... 11 Chapter 2: Methodology ................................................................................................................ 44 Chapter 3: South Shields, the detraditionalisation of the town and the development of its police forces.................................................................................................................. ………………………….64 Chapter 4: Continuity and change in the recruitment process ........................................................ 89 Chapter 5: From civilian to constable ........................................................................................... 114 Chapter 6: Detraditionalisation of poverty, prostitution, suicide and decision-making ............. ……143 Chapter 7: Changes in communication, technology, and beat patrol............................................ 168 Chapter 8: The unit beat system and the detraditionalisation of the borough police force..... …. 197 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................. 226 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 245 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 251 Unused Material…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..277 List of Tables Table 1: Method of recruiting narrators ......................................................................................... 51 Table 2: The years in which narrators were appointed ................................................................... 54 Table 3: Borough police forces in England and Wales 1947: populations between 80,000 and 120,000 .......................................................................................................................................... 75 Table 4: Borough police forces in north east England 1947 ............................................................. 76 Table 5: Origins of recruits 1918-1968 showing percentage recruited from South Shields .............. 81 Table 6: Constables’ previous occupation 1918-1968 ..................................................................... 83 Table 7: Instrumental reasons given by male narrators for joining the police.................................. 91 Table 8: Non-Instrumental reasons given by male narrators for joining the police .......................... 94 Table 9: Reasons for men leaving the police 1918-1968 ................................................................. 97 Table 10: Male applicants 1947-1967 showing ratio of applicants to appointments...................... 100 Table 11: Reasons for rejecting applicants 1950-1967 .................................................................. 110 Table 12: Northern area voluntary premature wastage (men) 1960-1965..................................... 137 Table 13: Voluntary wastage of Groups A and B ........................................................................... 138 Table 14: Dismissals and resignations by length of service 1947-1965 ......................................... 139 Table 15: Effect of unit beat policing on 24-hour shift relief resources.......................................... 206 Table 16: Police establishments before and after amalgamation .................................................. 215 Table 17: South Shields police rescue operations and associated fatalities 1962-1968 .................. 217 i Table of Figures Figure 1: The location of South Shields in the north of England ...................................................... 65 Figure 2: Map issued to police recruits in 1966 amended to show principal housing estates, The Leas and police stations ......................................................................................................................... 66 Figure 3: Rates of indictable crimes per thousand population in England and Wales, and South Shields 1947-1967 ................................................................................................................ 77 Figure 4: The distribution of addresses provided by recruits between 1918-1927 and 1958-1968 .. 80 Figure 5: Property found insecure by beat patrol officers 1947-1967 ............................................ 127 Figure 6: Percentage of people unemployed in South Shields, the northern region and the United Kingdom ...................................................................................................................................... 145 Figure 7: Property crime and associated value 1947-1963 ........................................................... 148 Figure 8: Residents and non-residents arrested for drunkenness 1947-1967 ................................ 155 Figure 9: Percentage increase in police authorised establishmentand total recorded crime in South Shields 1947-1967, illustrating the 'demand gap'.......................................................................... 169 Figure 10: Beat complaints 1947-1966 ......................................................................................... 170 Figure 11: Emergency calls made to South Shields Borough Police Force 1947-1967 .................... 171 Figure 12: Exponential rate of motor vehicles registered in South Shields 1946-1967 ................... 172 Figure 13: South Shields borough police box circa 1954 (Marsden Bay) ........................................ 175 Figure 14: Police pillar, Woodbine Street, South Shields 1961 ...................................................... 177 Figure 15: Police snips open (left) and closed (right) ..................................................................... 179 Figure 16: BCC 46U Transportable radio of a type tested in Sunderland Borough Police Force 1964 ......................................................................................................................... 188 Figure 17: The Pye Pocketfone ..................................................................................................... 189 Figure 18: PETA speed meter........................................................................................................ 193 Figure 19: Road Traffic Act offences South Shields 1961-1967 ...................................................... 194 Figure 20: NECRO pocket book insertion ...................................................................................... 211 Figure 21: Constable cliff training 1967 ........................................................................................ 216 Figure 22: Cliff rescue exercise 1967............................................................................................. 218 ii List of accompanying material ‘South Shields Borough Police’ Oral History Project. Booklet containing information for participants, frequently asked questions, copyright and consent forms. iii Acknowledgement The undertaking of several years of research to manage and complete a Ph.D. can be onerous and difficult, yet always interesting. It requires some dogged determination from the researcher and assistance from others, it is fitting that their contribution is acknowledged. This work would have been impossible to complete without the contribution of the 36 former police officers who worked in South Shields from 1947-1968 who provided their oral testimonies. They gave their time, and memories freely, and I am indebted to them. Any errors in the translation of their testimony rest with me. Accessing the official documents of a former police