shadow of britain

Chapter 836 Reaching the "Heaven's" Hearing
Since the establishment of the Metropolitan Police in London in 1829, Scotland Yard at 4 Whitehall Street has been temporarily converted into police headquarters.

The origin of the name Scotland Yard dates back to the Tudor period in the 15th century, when it was the residence of Scottish envoys and nobles in London, and also served as the London palace of the Scottish king.

However, although Scotland Yard was considered one of the best houses in London hundreds of years ago, after the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland Yard gradually became the offices and residences of the Foreign Office. In the 18th century, even the bureaucrats of the Foreign Office were unwilling to live in the old houses, so Scotland Yard was converted into stables and warehouses.

For this reason, despite Scotland Yard's excellent location, being right next to the power center of Whitehall, the buildings there were not originally intended for police officers.

Back then, the two directors, Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, managed to carve out a few offices in the old house, whitewashed the walls, and placed a few heavy desks and metal filing cabinets, which served as their "headquarters."

Of course, Scotland Yard today looks completely different from when it was first established eight years ago.

However, renovation is not the same as reconstruction. The corridors here still follow the layout of the old house, which is long and winding with doors very close together. During the daytime office rush, clerks and police officers carrying case files brush past each other, just like the market in Covent Garden Market.

Over the years, as the police force gradually expanded from the initial three thousand people, the rooms in the building became increasingly scarce.

Various administrative documents, patrol logs, case files, and financial registers piled up like mountains, often having to be temporarily stored in wooden crates on both sides of the aisle.

Police officers often have to squeeze through the archives and criminal records center.

However, even with such limited office space, the newly established Police Commissioner's Committee was temporarily relocated to this location.

The reason given was quite plausible: it would facilitate communication with Scotland Yard and allow for timely reporting of any emergencies to the Home Office on the same street.

Arthur closed the office door, and as soon as his gloved fingertips left the brass handle, he heard a rapid scratching sound of pens from next door, along with a few low coughs.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, walked over, and gently knocked on the door next door.

"Please come in."

Director Rowan was hunched over his desk, which was piled with several stacks of reports held together by metal clips. He glanced up at Arthur, then buried himself in his work again.

Arthur smiled and said, "Sir."

Rowan didn't even look up: "I already told you, don't call me 'sir' anymore. Just call me Charles or Rowan."

“Well, old buddy,” Arthur joked, “it seems we really are now like two coats hanging side by side on the wall.”

Rowan scoffed, “Yeah! The Ministry of the Interior said it wanted to cut costs, so it put the Commissioner of Police and Scotland Yard together in one office. On the surface, it’s to make communication easier, but I think… it’s just to keep us watching each other.”

As soon as Rowan finished speaking, he saw Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Mayne push open the door and enter. He was carrying a stack of files as thick as bricks, and a young clerk was following behind him, carrying a blue cloth document bag that was half a person's height.

“Charles,” he said, nudging the door open with his elbow, “the Treasury has returned these documents you signed…”

Before he could finish speaking, Mayne caught a glimpse of another person in the room out of the corner of his eye. He paused, and the document nearly slipped from his hand.

"Arthur's here too?" He frowned, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Oh, I almost forgot, you've been working next door since today, haven't you?"

Rowan pointed to the corner of the room, gesturing for the young clerk next to Mayne to put the document bag on the metal cabinet in the corner: "Just put it there."

The junior clerk tactfully put down the documents, bowed, and withdrew. Maine then reached out and closed the door behind him, turned around, and began to berate the Treasury: "I've had enough of those guys. They're always cutting our budget, as if Scotland Yard is responsible for all the government's deficits."

Listening to the grumbling from within Scotland Yard, Arthur leaned against the window with his arms crossed and said, "It's easier to take down the police than the Royal Navy and the Army, isn't it? The Royal Navy has His Majesty the King and Whig admirals behind it, and the Army has the Duke of Wellington and Conservative landed nobles behind it. Compared to the Royal Navy and the Army, we police are the easiest targets."

After listening, Mayne put down the documents in her hand and sighed: "Even a soft target needs someone to squeeze it. The Treasury Department was able to send the books back time and time again because they knew we wouldn't dare to say anything. But now it's different... the committee has stepped in."

Upon hearing this, Rowan frowned: "Richard..."

Mayne pretended not to hear: "Arthur, your committee is under the Ministry of the Interior, right? The documents say that the committee's responsibility is to supervise and improve, but I'm wondering... does that mean they'll also be in charge of finances?"

He pulled a budget sheet from the pile of documents and slammed it on the table, typing out the densely packed numbers on it: "For example, how many patrol officers do we expect to need, how much money should be spent on purchasing police equipment... Will we have to go through your approval process from now on?"

Arthur took a step closer, reached out and picked up the budget sheet that had been slapped on the table, glancing at it: "Finance is naturally still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. The committee doesn't have the power to print money; that's the job of the Mint. As for various appropriations, they also need to be stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of Finance."

Mayne was inevitably disappointed to hear this, but he wasn't surprised: "That's true. Getting a budget from those misers is like taking their lives. Even if we put a knife to the Treasury's throat, they won't relinquish their control over the treasury."

Arthur smiled upon hearing this: "Although the committee doesn't have the power to directly allocate funds, there's one thing it can do: clearly record where every penny is spent and how much improvement in public order it brings in the annual policing blue book. When the books are laid out, let Parliament and the citizens do the math. Aren't we British people most fond of accounting? They'll understand whether this deal is worthwhile." Rowan leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest: "Originally, I didn't want to say anything, but since Richard has brought it up, I'll ask one more question. Arthur, after the establishment of the Police Commissioner's Committee, will it have any substantial impact on the daily operations of Scotland Yard?"

"Impact? Not much." Arthur picked up the cigar box on Rowan's table with practiced ease and lit one. "At least in terms of daily command, patrol scheduling, and case handling, the committee has no power to interfere. That's your and Minister Main's responsibility, and it's the very foundation of Scotland Yard's existence."

Rowan's brows relaxed slightly upon hearing this.

He had been worried that Scotland Yard might have another superior department, since the Home Office alone was already a headache enough.

Although Arthur, a policing expert, was on the police committee, the other two were simply incompetent.

Henry Hobhouse, the retired permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, was alright. Rowan had dealt with him before and knew that as long as one didn't go too far in accordance with legal procedures, Hobhouse wouldn't make things difficult for one.

However, Rowan was very unhappy with another candidate for the Police Commission.

Indeed, Rowan's displeasure stemmed from Sir Charles Shaw, who had grown up during the Portuguese and Spanish Civil Wars.

From a conventional perspective, both Luo Wan and Xiao served in the 52nd Regiment. Although one was in the 1st Battalion and the other in the 2nd Battalion, they were still old comrades-in-arms.

The problem is that in the Battle of Waterloo, which influenced the fate of Europe, Rowan not only participated in the entire battle as a lieutenant in the 52nd Regiment, but was also seriously wounded at Mont Saint-Jean. After the war, based on this achievement and experience, he was promoted step by step to the rank of colonel. After retiring from the army, he was honored to come to Scotland Yard as its first minister.

Xiao, on the other hand, missed his opportunities, which is why he has only been able to make a name for himself in recent years.

Rowan didn't consider himself the petty type. Given Shaw's record in Spain and Portugal, it was only right that Shaw would be promoted and ennobled upon returning home.

The problem is that Rowan doesn't think Charles Shaw, a young man with no experience in police administration, should be riding on his back to serve on the Commissioner for Police Affairs.

Although the Whigs may not have had any intention of disgusting Rowan, objectively speaking, Rowan was indeed disgusted.

However, he did not show this emotion in front of Arthur, but listened quietly as Arthur continued to explain the functions of the committee.

Arthur paced back and forth in his office: “The committee’s functions are mainly focused on three aspects. First, it’s about regularly collecting information on police operations across the country, not just in London, but also in places like Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, gradually building a national database. Second, it’s about oversight, which isn’t just about looking at the books, but also about police discipline, security conditions, and public opinion. We need to ensure that the police system can respond to inquiries from Parliament and the public, and doesn’t leave the Home Office completely clueless. Finally, it’s about providing recommendations, especially at the local level. As you know, since the London model was implemented, counties across the country have wanted to follow suit, but the situation is different in each place. The committee’s responsibility is to provide reform recommendations based on the research results, telling them what works and what doesn’t need to be copied.”

Upon hearing this, Mayne spoke up at the opportune moment: "I heard the other day that Hobhouse is planning to do some kind of national security report?"

Arthur nodded. "He wrote to me yesterday and mentioned this matter. He insists on doing an annual overview, saying that only in this way can he give an account to the legislature. The committee will be discussing this matter in a little while, to see if we should rate the national policing performance by city and region, from the best to the worst, one by one."

Rowan was clearly not impressed with this kind of evaluation: "Scoring police officers in different regions? This is a bit like giving out certificates of merit in a parish school. Are we going to give out a model policing award next time?"

Mayne, a lawyer by training, understood Hobhouse's thinking quite well: "Charles, formalism may be naive, but numbers and rankings are very powerful. Think about it, during parliamentary debates, if someone holds up a policing report and questions why Manchester's policing score is at the bottom year after year? Why are there twice as many violent cases in Birmingham as last year? That's much harder to fool than a war of words with spittle flying everywhere."

Rowan chuckled: "Indeed, if we don't want them to ask that, we can just change the data in the report, which is quite easy."

He stood up and stretched: "It seems London is definitely going to be at the bottom in this year's first evaluation. Population, industry, immigration, poverty—which of London's conditions isn't the most complex in the country? If you use a single standard to measure it, it would be strange if Scotland Yard didn't suffer a loss."

Arthur chuckled and flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray. "A high score isn't necessarily a good thing, and a low score isn't necessarily all bad. There's a massive influx of immigrants, factories roaring day and night, and slums and mansions side by side. If you explain the background clearly, can't London's low score be used to ask the Treasury for money? Because it shows that the capital region needs more budget and resources than the local counties."

Rowan didn't continue Arthur's topic. He simply tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, then slowly straightened up and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, how has Her Highness the Princess been lately? She hasn't been seen for a while since the Ramsgate incident. I think it's probably because she's about to come of age, so Kensington Palace is on high alert."

Mayne, understanding the unspoken message, said, "Arthur, do you see some of Scotland Yard's budgets, like some special projects of the Police Intelligence Service, need to be fully reported to the Police Commission? You know, in law enforcement, if everything is explained so clearly, it can easily lead to public misunderstanding."

When Arthur heard them bring it up, he naturally understood and continued, "Charles, Richard, although we have a close personal relationship, business must be conducted officially. Any project at Scotland Yard must be reported to the Police Commission. This is stipulated by law and is also the conclusion of parliamentary legislation."

Upon hearing this, Rowan immediately understood what was going on.

However, having been tricked by the Viscount of Melbourne once in the Cold Bath incident, he was more cautious this time.

Rowan asked, "Should we report to all three committee members, or...?"

Arthur smiled and waved his hand: "Just report to me. If I know, how could the other two committee members not know?"

(End of this chapter)