CHANGES COME

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 83, 9 April 1934, Page 9

CHANGES COME

TO LONDON'S POLICE

THE TRENCHARD SCHEME

PUKLIC SUSPICIONS

Out of the midnight shadows of a seemingly deserted London street, two detectives descended upon a, man who was hurrying suspiciously by. Producing badges, they ordered him to open ' his suitcase. Tho man looked frightened. "I don't know who you are," ho said. "Take mo to a uniformed constable."

They took him. The policeman vouched that tho men were detectives, and advised the man to show what was iv his bag. There was nothing there but a dinner jacket and a white shirt. They let tho man go, and he hurried away feeling somehow thankful that there- had been a uniformed policeman nearby, writes John May in tho "Christian Science Monitor."

For the "bobby" seems to inspire confidence. He is a symbol of safety. His blue suit and "basin hat" have become a hall-mark of an elementary justice. He stands, both to,the ordinary man and to the criminal, for a "square deal." It is on this foundation that the authority of the Metropolitan Police has been built. And.today the fore© is in the midst of the first really radical reform since the days when tho "bobbies" took their nicknames from Sir Robert Peel, who founded tho force over 100 years ago. l("or a long time, tho London Police Force has. held its reputation for effir ciency. But Lord Tronchard, the present Chief Commissioner, does not apparently find it easy £o believe the visiting actresses, "whoso, accents may be different but whose views on policemen arc always the same: "Your policemen; they arc so wonderful." Lord Trent-hard has dealt in facts and spurned eulogies. Having studied the police from every angle prior to his appointment, he. concluded that the time had come for drastic reforms iv organisation. ■ , : CRIMINAL CHANGES. , Lord Trenchard's contention was that "while the police have contimied unchanged for many years, tho criminal has become.more cunning. He, too, has technicalities at his command. And while he has grown more shrewd in his methods, the- police, Lord T^pnchard declares, have not altered their system radically enough to reset the balance. The criminal is no longer a jack-of-all-trades, stealing at. Ms opportunity, breaking a safe if it is easy, driving somebody's automobile away if it looks like a good one. Tho criminal has become a "specialist." To face this problem, Lord Trenchard has1 introduced certain reforms aimed at specialising the police. It is his intention to broaden the basis of recruitment, to establish' a stall specially trained for its duties, and to maintain throughout the Police 'Force a constant flow of youth "and the best brains."

To this end, the ladder of success h«'s been made easier for the young constable to climb. The number of higher posts lias been increased, the recruitment of constables on a ten-year short-term basis has been arranged, and the retire-at-fifty order has, with the 'exception of Lord Tronchanl himself, been rigidly enforced. THE COLLEGE. But the most controversial of all Lord Trenishard's reforms has been'the/establishment of a" Police College, '' which lias been the cause of many hard words. It has been compared with Sandhurst, premier English military establishment, to its own detriment in the eyes of .the public. ■ • ■ ■ ■ At the Police College young men will lie trained specially for higher posts. They will not necessarily bo men of previous expedience in the police force. . They will be a new and specially trained officer class, recruited from the universities and colleges. To. enter, the candidates must cither pass a difficult special examination, which • necessitates a first-class education, .or show proof of having passed an examination as nearly as possible equivalent to a university degree. Bright young constables whoso education may not conform with that required for the entrance examination but who show signs of cleverness will also be selected for the course. When Lord Trenehard introduced his reforms, it was Jiot his intention to alter the fundamental philosophy . of the "bobby," or to attack the foundation on which.many people believe the authority of the police as a whole has been built. But it is on these counts that he faces most of his critics. The Police College is declared to be bound.to produce a new officer class for the most part out of touch with the public and perhaps with the policemen themselves. The critics claim that those who run the force will no longer have the essential first-hand knowledge of what is happening in the minds of the public. DIFFICULT SITUATION. Some of the criticism levelled at the scheme would seem to have justification. The police will be in a difficult position if the public beleives it is being robbed of a sturdy friend to be given an aimed guardian instead. Already the music hall comedian in difficulties has one Tecoursc which will ■ save him —for the public has a great partiality for any joke at the expense uf the "Public School P.C." Tt is certain that Lord Trenehard will have to bo extremely careful how the reforms arc employed. They have seeds both of destruction and of growth. Echoes of the old cries that' greeted the "Peelers" as they marched their firt beats seem to roll again a little vagnelely across London. The new police will have to prove their value as did the first. The reforms will stand or fall according to .Ihe use to which they are put. If they are understood and employed as a means of making the pwlico still more efficient as a public weapon for public use, then there are few conceivable reasons why they should not be a success.