Review: Scotland Yard's First Cases by Joan Lock

Synopsis: When Scotland Yard’s first detective branch was set up in 1842 crime was very different from today.

The favoured murder weapon was the cut-throat razor; carrying a pocket watch was dangerous; the most significant clue at a murder scene could be the whereabouts of a candlestick or hat; large households (family, servants and lodgers) complicated many a case and servants sometimes murdered their masters.

Detectives had few aids and suffered many disadvantages (having none of the scientific and forensic tools of today); the detectives had no transport and were expected to walk; all reports had to be handwritten, and the only means of keeping contact with colleagues and disseminating information was by post, horseback or foot. In spite of these handicaps and severe press criticism, the detectives achieved some significant successes.

Joan Lock includes such classic cases as the First Railway Murder, as well as many fascinating, fresh reports, weaving in new developments like the electric telegraph against a background of authentic Victorian police procedure.

History:

In June 1829, the British Parliament established Greater London's Metropolitan Police, popularly known as "peelers" or "bobbies." 

Prior to this, London had an unsophisticated system of policing that attempted to secure civil order through appointed representatives called “tythings,” which was essentially a citizen-based system of self-policing through individuals and groups of people referred to as parish constables. They worked in cooperation with local Justices to maintain order and ensure laws were upheld. The system was widely established until economic changes came as a result of the industrial revolution, as well as social disorder that led to a considerable increase in crime and violence, and it failed entirely.

Scotland Yard, the site of their first headquarters, opened on September 29, 1829, and eventually became the official name of the force.  In 1842 the Detective Department set up by the Met; in 1869 the National Criminal Record set up to make use of the new telegraph communications between forces; and in 1877 CID (Criminal Investigations Department) formed with 200 detectives, and later 600 more in 1883.

Scotland Yard became infamous over the years for several high-profile landmark cases involving mystery, violence and murder. During construction of New Scotland Yard, workers discovered a female’s dismembered torso and the unsolved case became known as the “Whitehall Mystery,” which was related to the particular building in which the body was found. An anonymous letter was sent on May 30, 1884, threatening to bomb government-owned buildings in London, in addition to Scotland Yard. That night, explosive devices were detonated. On November 13, 1887, Britain’s “Bloody Sunday” took place during which 2,000 police officers disrupted a Social Democratic Federation meeting in Trafalgar Square that led to more than 100 casualties.

In what nearly paralyzed the citizens of London’s East End in fear, Jack the Ripper began his murderous rampage between 1888 and 1891. During investigations by Scotland Yard’s police officers and Inspector Frederick Abberline’s attempt at performing anthropometry, which uses specific facial features to identify criminals, more than 160 people were accused of the murders. However, by 1892, leads ended and the murders stopped, so the case was officially closed.

The stories Lock has included in her book make for interesting reading. It was well researched and I liked the use of original documents - police reports, newspaper articles and contemporary accounts - to add weight and authenticity to the narrative. These also illustrate the political attitudes of the era; highlights the struggles between the different policing forces, whilst also painting a less than untarnished picture of a press corp intent on doing more harm than good. 

The only downside for me was the structure - maybe discernible paragraphing and additional pagination would have made for a more flowing style and methodology.

Definitely one for those with an interest in earlier policing or Victorian London.

read more online:

Stories From The Yard

Old Bailey Online - Policing In London

History of Scotland Yard

British History - Scotland Yard & the Metropolitan Police

The Victorian Web - Maintenance of Law & Order Before 1829

History Extra - Real Life Sherlocks

Detective Policing & the State in 19th Century England

further reading:

Great cases of Scotland Yard by Eric Ambler
Strictly murder : famous cases of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad by Tom Tullett
Forty years of Scotland Yard; the record of a lifetime's service in the Criminal Investigation Department by George Dilnot