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The History of Jurisdiction - A Small Example from the Great War

 

The attitude of local forces to BTP and its predecessor forces has always been rather mixed.  In recent years I rarely have cause to tell groups I work with that I once served in BTP.  As they are mostly police officers I am speaking to their reaction to mention of the railway police (current and historic) is often negative.  I have always found the Police History Society rather sniffy about the history of the railway and dock police.  Somehow in the minds of many the sacrifice of railway, dock and canal police does quite score so highly as that to be found in other forces. 

In one respect geographic forces were (and perhaps still are) united.  That is in opposing any extension of the powers of RDC officers. The fact that officers from other geographic forces have powers in their area does not seem to offer any threat but the prospect of RDC officers exercising the power of constable on their patch might bring about the end of civilisation.  Of course even now local officers have full powers on railway premises.

I am currently working on an example of this in relation to the policing of London buses but I came across another example today.  The demands placed on police forces at the start of Great War in 1914 were dramatic.  Thousands of ordinary people were signed up as Special Constables across virtually all forces.  Newspapers are full of reports of their faltering first steps in policing.  But even in this environment the prospect of the railway police trespassing on the streets could cause consternation.

Police Review & Parade Gossip (‘The Organ of the British Constabulary’) of 5th February 1915 reports that Manchester City Council had heard that the Great Central Railway Bill that was soon to go before Parliament would include provision for railway constables to have powers within half a mile of railway premises. The Council were outraged by the prospect and calculated that railway constables would have powers in nearly a third of the city.  The matter was brought to the attention of the Watch Committee and officers of the authority were instructed to object to the proposal.

The objection was successful and the Great Central Railway Act 1915 contains no mention of the powers of constables.

By 1915 the powers of most RDC officers were limited to railway premises with a power of ‘follow and arrest’ outwith the same.  Early Acts of Parliament that granted more extensive geographical powers had largely been replaced. The power ‘in the vicinity’ was not introduced until 1960s and was lost in 2003.  Powers to deal with matters effecting the railway (etc) off railway premises came in the last quarter of the 20th century and remains in place.

 

Phil Trendall

January 2024

 

REFERENCES

Police Review and Parade Gossip 5th February 1915 P62

Great Central Railway Act 1915

 

 

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