Policing Whitechapel

Question 1

What was the H Division?

Answer 1

• H Division was responsible for policing in Whitechapel. However, because Whitechapel bordered the City of London, the Metropolitan and City of London police forces had to work together in Whitechapel.

Question 2

What were the 2 parts to the H Division?

Answer 2

• Like other divisions, H Division had two parts – uniformed police and CID detectives. The detectives would try to solve crimes, while the uniformed men would patrol the area and arrest criminals.

Question 3

What were ‘beats’?

Answer 3

• To make sure policing was organised and the whole area was covered, police in Whitechapel would patrol in ‘beats’. A beat was a specific route that a policeman (known as a ‘beat constable’) would walk in a continuous circuit. Typically he would walk alone, unless it was an especially dangerous route.

Question 4

What were the advantages and disadvantages for the ‘beat’ system?

Answer 4

• The patrols were thorough – no area of Whitechapel would go unmonitored.
• Sergeants also where to find their constable if they needed them. This was especially important in the time before phones and radio communication.
• However, criminals could learn the routes of the beat, which meant they could work out when it was safe to commit a crime without getting caught.

Question 5

Why did rookeries make it difficult to tackle crime?

Answer 5

• The rookeries were full of winding dark alleys and cramped spaces. There were many places for criminals to hide from the police or attack victims without being seen.

Question 6

Why did alcohol addiction make it diffiult to tackle crime?

Answer 6

• Many in Whitechapel suffered from alcohol addiction, and drinking increased the chance of being involved in a crime, both as a victim and as a perpetrator.

Question 7

Why did gangs in Whitechapel make it difficult to tackle crime?

Answer 7

• Several gangs operated in Whitechapel. They organised illegal gambling, pubs and fights. They were also involved in protection rackets – this was where gangs threatened local businesspeople and shop owners with violence unless they paid money to the gang.

Question 8

Why did violent demonstrations make it difficult to tackle crime?

Answer 8

• The police had to handle violent demonstrators. Often the protesters were frustrated at poor working conditions. Some were Jewish immigrants from Whitechapel who supported the principles of socialism or anarchism that they had been familiar with in Eastern Europe.

Question 9

Why did the local population make it difficult to tackle crime in Whitechapel?

Answer 9

• The local population was often hostile to the police. Many had links to crime themselves, and some disliked how the police treateed protesters – particularly if the protests were against government policies that some felt contributed to poverty in Whitechapel.

Question 10

Why did police lack to tackle crime in Whitechapel?

Answer 10

• The police did not have the things they needed to tackle crime in Whitechapel, e.g they did not have enough manpower – there were fewer police per person in London in the late 1800s than there are today. Police also did not have uniform and equipment which would guarantee them protection.