HER MAJESTY’S CONSTABULARY 1856 to 2006 The history of INSPECTORATE OF INSPECTORATE years 150 THE FIRST The history of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary – The first 150 years: 1856 to 2006 1-84726-00505 978-1-84726-00505 Ref: 271953 ISBN Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Her Majesty’s Floor, Ground Ashley House, 2 Monck Street, London SW1P 2BQ the HMIC website This book is also available from www.inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic by COI on behalf of HMIC Produced July 2006 FOREWORD On 21 July 1856, the statute ability and vision – colleagues to whom the was enacted that brought Her most senior and influential police officers and Majesty’s Inspectorate of politicians in the land have been confident to Constabulary (HMIC) into turn when in need of wise counsel. existence. One hundred and fifty years later, we can look Importantly, however, the sustained success and back on the achievements of influence of the Inspectorate is not just due to HMIC with pride and admiration. An the efforts of HMIs, it is equally reliant on the organisation conceived to ensure the wise individual and collective qualities of all HMIC’s spending of exchequer grants by police forces staff members, whether seconded police officers, has become a catalyst for change and reform, police staff or permanent Civil Service the guardian of professional standards and the employees. I have been consistently impressed credible conscience of the Police Service in by the capacity for endeavour, the sheer energy England, Wales and Northern Ireland. and enthusiasm, and the untiring dedication to the cause displayed by staff members. Thanks to Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs), and latterly hard work and team effort, HMIC has earned a Chief Inspectors, have provided wise counsel reputation as an organisation that ‘punches well and advice to government and the Service. above its weight’ and has the credibility always Whether direct to the Home Secretary, to to command respect. national organisations and representatives, or personally to individual police authority It is a significant challenge to sift through 150 members or Chief Constables, HMIs have given years of history, documentation, memories and advice impartially and often courageously, anecdotes and to extract and distil the most knowing that their message could be unwelcome interesting and relevant issues. It is even more or might meet strong challenge. challenging to do so in one’s spare time, but, in different ways, this book represents a labour of From the very first HMIs to the current team, love for each member of the writing team. On the Inspectorate has attracted the highest calibre behalf of all current and past members of HMIC, of operational and intellectual policing brains. and all those interested in the Inspectorate as an A simple glance at the list of previous and organisation, I would wish to thank them for current HMIs reveals an absolute ‘who’s who’ their sterling efforts. of policing spanning three centuries. In that context it has been a humbling experience personally first to serve as an HMI and now as Chief Inspector. Even within that comparatively short time, I have had the honour to work alongside colleagues of immense experience, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, GBE MA 1 THE WRITING TEAM Richard Cowley: Guilty M’Lud! The Criminal History of co-author and researcher Northamptonshire in 1998. He is currently the honorary curator and archivist for Richard Cowley Northamptonshire Police. is a retired Northamptonshire police officer, having Peter Todd: co-author and editor Peter Todd joined served with the force Bedfordshire Police as from 1970 to his a cadet in 1972, and retirement in 1995. between 1973 and Born in Finedon, 1997 he served Northamptonshire, throughout the he attended county, in uniform Wellingborough Grammar School from 1956 to and the criminal 1961, when he left to become an apprentice investigation compositor in the printing trade. He worked in department, ending estimating and production planning before as Commander of the Bedford Division. In becoming a typographer and graphic designer. 1988/89 he worked at the Home Office, leading He still retains a keen interest in printing history project teams for the Association of Chief Police and typography. Officers and designing a national system for In 1968, he joined the then Northampton and casualty bureaux, to deal with the flood of County Constabulary as a Special Constable, telephone calls following major disasters such as before joining the regular constabulary two years the Lockerbie air crash. In 1994 and 1995, he later. Always based in the north of the county, had two further attachments to the Home he served in large towns, small villages, desk jobs Office, this time as report writer for consecutive and specialist squads, and along the way public inquiries into security within the Prison acquired his interest in police, criminal and Service, following high-profile escapes from legal history. Whitemoor and Parkhurst prisons. In August 1997, he took up the post of Assistant Chief He graduated from the Open University with a Constable (Crime and Operations) with BA in modern history before going on to gain a Gloucestershire Constabulary. master’s degree (MA) in Victorian studies at Leicester University, where his thesis was on the In April 2001, he was seconded to Her Majesty’s subject of the Inspectorate of Constabulary. He Inspectorate of Constabulary as Assistant has written two subsequent books, Policing HM Inspector of Constabulary with portfolio Northamptonshire 1836–1986 in 1986, and responsibility for policy areas including 2 THE WRITING TEAM information and communications technology, professional standards, best value, performance management and leadership. Although he retired from the Police Service in December 2004, he has continued working as Assistant Inspector. In January 2005, he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for services to policing. Louise Ledger: additional research and production Louise Ledger graduated in 2005 from the University of Sussex, where she specialised in Arthurian literature and modern culture. She joined Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in September 2005 as an inspection support manager and has provided support to a number of thematic inspections, including the substantial inspection of police professional standards – Raising the standard. Her time at HMIC has provided opportunities to expand her research skills and develop her interest in publishing. She was personally responsible for locating Richard Cowley’s earlier work, thereby bringing the writing team together. She also identified a number of sources for pictures used in the book. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank all previous The Chief Constable of Kent Police for members of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of photographs of constables and 19th century Constabulary who contributed memories, police buildings. photographs and other material for use in this book. Thanks also go to those responsible for The Chief Constable of Sussex Police for maintaining libraries, archives and museums photographs of Hastings Borough police officers within individual police forces, without whose (1928). dedication and enthusiasm much of the The Chief Constable of Northamptonshire information made available to this work would Police for various pictures from the force have been lost to posterity long ago. archives. Particular thanks are extended to the following, Ex-Constable Ron Gamage for pictures of police for permission to reproduce the photographs vehicles of the 1960s. indicated: The Chief Executive of Centrex for the picture The county archivist of the Northamptonshire of Barbara Denis de Vitré. Record Office for the photograph of William Cartwright and the copy of Cartwright’s In addition, thanks go to Jane’s publishers and appointment warrant. Adam Matthew Publications for items from the Police Review and Police Gazette respectively. The county archivist of the Hereford and Worcester County Record Office for the photograph of Herbert Croft. The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police for the photograph of Herbert Terry. The Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary for the photographs of inspections by Commander Willis and others. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police for photographs of wartime policing, the 150th anniversary and riot control. The Commissioner of the City of London Police for photographs of inspection activity circa 1900. 4 CONTENTS Foreword 1 The writing team 2 Acknowledgements 4 PART A: THE FIRST 100 YEARS Chapter One: 1856: The genesis of the police inspectorate 8 Chapter Two: 1857: The work begins in earnest 15 Chapter Three: 1857–1890: Efficiency and reform 23 Chapter Four: 1890–1945: The wilderness years 41 Chapter Five: 1945–1962: Back with a vengeance 60 PART B: THE MODERN INSPECTORATE Chapter Six: 1962–1990: Wider remit and influence 68 Chapter Seven: 1990–2006: Reform and modernisation 94 PART C: THE LEGACY AND THE FUTURE Chapter Eight: 150 years of the Inspectorate’s influence 116 Chapter Nine: 2006 and beyond 133 ANNEXES 1: Her Majesty’s inspectors of constabulary, 1856–2006 137 2: The acting inspectors of constabulary, 1939–45 138 3: Barbara Mary Denis de Vitré: the first female assistant inspector 139 4: Family trees of English and Welsh police forces, 1814–2006 141 5: Reference notes and bibliography 182 5 PART A THE FIRST100years CHAPTER ONE 1856: THE GENESIS OF THE POLICE INSPECTORATE Organised policing is not a modern concept; the Quis custodiet Anglo-Saxons had