Policing during and after the first world war Flashcards
What were the conditions for policing like during the first world war in Britain?
Became progressively worse including:
- low pay
- They had 1 day off in 7 days, 1 day off in 14 days and then 1 day off in a month
- Many worked a second job
- They were forced to carry out unpleasant tasks
- Union activity increased
What was founded in Britain in 1914?
A female police force
What was the significant purpose of the female police force in Britain?
Designed to deal with pimping, prostitution but became unpopular for harassing prostitutes but not their clients
What happened throughout Britain in 1918?
There was a major strike of the Met police in which the employees asked for better pay and conditions and union recognition for the female police force
What did police strikes in Britain between 1918 and 1919 lead to?
A police bill which prohibited officers from belonging to a union
What did Lloyd George say about the police bill in Britain?
It brought the country nearer than it had been at any time before or since Bolshevism (communist form of government in Russia in 1917)
True or false? There was greater cooperation & coordination of police post WW1
True
What was one of the main concerns surrounding policing in inter-war Europe?
Concern about extreme left & right political groups
What were the 3 significant reasons why police in inter-war Europe needed to become upholders of democracy?
- Education of police about democracy
- Sympathy for right wing groups
- Smooth transition of police to fascist regimes
When were new technologies built on the incorporation of machines and techniques throughout Britain?
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries
What were examples of new technologies throughout policing in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
- Fingerprinting
- And the use of Teletypes and telegraphs
What did the use of cars do in the inter-war years in Britain?
They became prominent both as a means of controlling traffic but also as a way of quickly getting to crime scenes
What were the specific advancements of telecommunications in the early 20th century in Britain?
- 1929 police box system
- 1937 (999) system
When did the Metropolitan police forensic laboratory open?
1935
What does policing in Berlin in the inter war era offer?
Insight into one of the most professional and highly organised police services in Europe
What did policing in Berlin in the inter-war era also demonstrate?
How the challenges of policing in the unstable post-war climate were met
In the years after 1918 what did Germany experience a significant surge in?
Both violent and property crime
True or false? Complains if first and second degree murder in Berlin increased from 1911 to 1922 and again in 1924
True
What also reflected the surge in violet crime in Germany following 1918?
National statistics
What happened to political crime, particularly political murder in Germany following 1918?
It grew rapidly
What other types of crime also experienced significant growth in the years immediately following the first world war throughout Germany?
Property crime - reaching its highest point in 1923
What did demobilisation and inflation lead to throughout Germany following WWI?
Increased theft in many urban areas and the spread of crime to the countryside
What happened to organised crime regarding gang involvement in Germany following WWI?
It became more prevalent as urban gangs mobilised to orchestrate rackets in prostitution, pornography, gambling and burglary
While the press throughout Germany gave the impression that the Weimar Republic was under siege by murderers and gangsters following WWI what was it that had a direct impact upon ordinary Germans?
Everyday crimes such as petty theft
What created the impression that police were not productive enough in the immediate post-war period across Germany?
-Disorganisation and underfunding of law enforcement in many parts of the Weimar Republic
Following WWI what did the German police undertake the process of?
Reorganisation and professionalisation
What did the terms of the treaty of Versailles prohibit and what did this force the Germany police to do?
The organisation of the Weimar constabulary along military lines which forced them to think of themselves as a professional law enforcement agency
True or false? The new German police force was better armed than that prior to the war
True
Why did recruitment policy and training of the new German police change?
To reflect the new emphasis on professionalism
Where did policeman in Germany begin to be recruited from and what did they undertake?
The civilian population who undertook specialised training
What were the advantages of the new German police recruit?
-They were younger, fitter, and better educated than those of the pre-war years
What did the difficulties associated with policing a modern industrial society also see the security police and criminal police of Germany adopt?
A range of new technology and scientific techniques during the inter-war period
What did cars, teletypes and radio transmitters enable the Weimar police to do?
Move and communicate more efficiently
What did the criminal police in Berlin introduce between 1919 and 1927?
A range of new forensic techniques including fingerprinting and ballistic tests
What did the newly introduced forensic techniques of the criminal police in Berlin demonstrate?
The eagerness of the criminal police to make detection as scientific as possible
What did the Kripo also adopt methods derived from?
The new social and applied sciences, including psychology, sociology and graphology
What two things were instrumental to the Kripo’s claim to be a professional crime-fighting agency?
Science and technology
In order to advance in the criminal police in Germany recruits needed to be familiar with what?
Police science and criminology
Why did the Weimar police need to invest in communication technology, weaponry and transportation?
To maintain order in an increasingly technological society
In order to gain help from the public what did the Weimar police do in the mid to late 1920s?
Engaged in a series of public relations exercises
