Leaving one's beat

[Michael W Richards]

In her witness statement, Mrs Fanny Mortimer, said that she heard "The Measured stamp of a policeman's beat". Does that mean policemen walked in a certain manner and you could pick out, that it was a policeman passing by? Could it also mean that policeman walked to a certain tempo, so that they met up at the same place, assuming that nothing significant had happened during the course of the beat?

If I may interject to add that Fanny Mortimer did not hear anyone call out, nor did she see anyone when she was at her door..off and on until 12:50ish, then steadily until 1.

What Fanny says she heard is problematic for the other witnesses, specifically club witnesses.

[Sam Flynn]

Evening News 10th Nov

"As the hours stole by plain clothes detectives, both amateur and professional, left the scene of their monotonous perambulations and once again the streets resounded only to the heavy mechanical tread of the blue coated guardians of the night"

Anyone who doubts that the Victorians (and their press) had a predilection for melodrama ought to read that ten times before breakfast.

[The Station Cat]

Evening News 10th Nov

"As the hours stole by plain clothes detectives, both amateur and professional, left the scene of their monotonous perambulations and once again the streets resounded only to the heavy mechanical tread of the blue coated guardians of the night"

that's great!!!

[Joshua Rogan]

Evening News 10th Nov

"As the hours stole by plain clothes detectives, both amateur and professional, left the scene of their monotonous perambulations and once again the streets resounded only to the heavy mechanical tread of the blue coated guardians of the night"

[Pcdunn]

" 'It was he only who disturbed the silence of the night, for, with very few exceptions, the detective officers were invisible.' "

Eh?

Detectives were plainclothes, after all, and probably walked with an ordinary step. Unless the author suggests the detectives weren't on the streets at all?

[Robert]

The police used bookmakers' tic tac to convey to people that they were under arrest.

[Bridewell]

" 'It was he only who disturbed the silence of the night, for, with very few exceptions, the detective officers were invisible.' "

Eh?

Inaudible perhaps?

[Robert]

" 'It was he only who disturbed the silence of the night, for, with very few exceptions, the detective officers were invisible.' "

Eh?

[Joshua Rogan]

Another reference to police walking tempo, from the Echo 1st Oct;

"In every street was to be heard the "regulation" step of the policeman. It was he only who disturbed the silence of the night, for, with very few exceptions, the detective officers were invisible."

[Joshua Rogan]

Here's an example of a PC (Watkins in an interview with the Star 1st Oct) mentioning a variation of his beat, both the direction and an alternate route (which he didn't use)

"I was working left-handed last night," said the police officer. "Sometimes I go into Mitre-square through the Church-passage, but last night I entered from Mitre-street. It was just half-past one when I turned out of Aldgate and passed round the next corner into the square. At that time there was nothing unusual to be seen." I looked carefully in all the corners, as I always do,

TURNING MY LANTERN
light in every direction. I am positive there was nothing wrong at that time."
"And when did you pass through the square again?" asked the reporter.

"At about a quarter before two."

"Had you met any person on your rounds?"

"Not a soul."

"Nor heard any noise?"

"Not a sound, but the echo of my own footsteps."

"You entered the square the same way?"

"Just the same."

[Joshua Rogan]

There were numerous press articles criticising the militarisation of the police under Warren, and suggesting they should spend less time on the parade ground practising their marching. The fixed beat time was said to give savvy criminals a distinct advantage. Although to be fair there are one or two mentions of individual PCs varying their beat or doubling back occasionally.
Police issue boots often came in for ridicule, notably from Punch, seemingly being built more for robustness than stealth or comfort - "The boots of Policemen have long been objects remarkable for their excessive clumsiness and disproportion." And also suggesting that they were more suited to kicking ruffians to the station than sneaking up on burglars (or killers) as "The tramp of the Bobbeian boots may readily be recognised full half a mile away". While this is doubtless hyperbole, the contemporary papers do contain many articles and letters imploring the police to wear rubber soled boots so they could move silently and thus avoid alerting criminals to their approach.

[rjpalmer]

Hi BB, quite probably both. Beat constables (opposed to 'fixed point') were trained to walk a 'measured tread' of precisely 2.5 miles per hour. That way their duty inspector would know their approximate location at any given moment. So their distinctive mechanical march was very much by design. (Source: Scotland Yard Investigates by Stewart Evans and Donald Rumbelow, two ex-coppers, and great historians of the case).

[Busy Beaver]

In her witness statement, Mrs Fanny Mortimer, said that she heard "The Measured stamp of a policeman's beat". Does that mean policemen walked in a certain manner and you could pick out, that it was a policeman passing by? Could it also mean that policeman walked to a certain tempo, so that they met up at the same place, assuming that nothing significant had happened during the course of the beat?

[Busy Beaver]

In a jungle of the senses, Tinkerbell and Jack The Ripper....

[David Orsam]

Funnily enough, my next book (yeah, 80s pop music) contains no fewer than seven mentions of "Jack the Ripper". I kid you not. Pure coincidence actually.

But if that doesn't make you want to buy it when it comes out next year, nothing will!

As this was first mentioned in this thread, just a follow-up to say that anyone who desperately wants to read a book about Spandau Ballet and the New Romantics (which is surely everyone) can now order my new book entitled New Romantics Who Never Were: The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet.

Then you can find why it contains - by pure coincidence - so many mentions of Jack the Ripper!!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Romantics-Who-Never-Were/dp/0957091729

Only available as paperback at the moment, Kindle version to follow in due course.