Whitechapel Flashcards
(20 cards)
Who were the police recruits for the Met?
- They came from outside London and were attracted by the relatively good pay. 2. Some had been soldiers while others had been part of labouring / farm life. 3. Some problems of absenteeism and drinking on the job. 4. Met had 13000 police members.
What did the constables patrol?
A “beat” - specific route to deter criminals.
What was the CID and was it successful?
Criminal Investigation Department set up in 1878. Aim: detect crime. Not successful e.g. murders committed by Jack the Ripper.
Who was Sir Charles Warren?
The metropolitan police commissioner in 1886. In 1887; he banned a planned unemployment protest in Trafalgar Square and when they still went ahead; he sent the police and 1000 army men to squash it. He also lost his job due to not catching Jack the Ripper.
What different types of housing were there?
- Rookeries (slum areas). 2. Lodging houses. 3. Peabody Estate. 4. Workhouse
Where could young orphans live?
Barnardo’s homes.
Where did most people work?
Factories with long hours and low pay. Building railways and dockyards with a higher but variable pay.
What are some links between the environment and crime?
- Low income led to stealing for survival. 2. Unreliable work meant more spare time and more alcoholism and violence. 3. Overcrowding led to tensions between Londoners and Irish / Jewish. 4. High levels of prostitution led to more violence on women.
Where did the Irish immigrants come from and why?
- Left Ireland in the 1840s. 2. Worked as navvies or dockers. 3. Reputation for being drunk and violent. Also associated with terrorism.
How was the population fluctuating?
Most accommodation was temporary so people didn’t have an interest in fostering any sense of community.
Why were there so many eastern european immigrants?
Mainly Russian and Polish Jews. Fled persecution after Tsar Alexander II’s assassination in 1881. Poverty meant that they were only able to settle in the cheaper parts. They stuck together which caused some segregation. By 1888 some areas had a 95% Jewish population.
Give me some info about the anarchists and socialists.
The government feared them because there were lots of attempted revolutions and they were worried that they would be overthrown.
Where were there tensions?
- Between immigrants and local populations over access to housing and jobs. 2. Jews usually accepted lower and pay and poor conditions. 3. Anti semitism rose against Jews. 4. Foreigners were blamed for many crimes e.g. Jack the Ripper murders.
What problems were there for H division?
- The environment - dark narrow alleys made chasing and finding criminals hard. 2. Gangs - organised and well trained at stealing and protection rackets. 3. Violent demonstrations - Trafalgar Square 1887. 4. Prostitution - 1200. 5. Alcohol - lots of pubs with affordable alcohol. 6. Attacks on Jews.
What was the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee?
- Set up due to police’s lack of progress to Ripper case. Offered a reward for info (got some false leads). Patrol the streets each night with torches and whistles.
What were some investigatory police techniques?
- House to house searches e.g. pubs. Leaflets e.g. 80000. 2. Following up evidence from bodies e.g. good knowledge of anatomy by Ripper. 3. Annotated sketches of crime scenes. 4. Soup kitchens to encourage poor to come forward.
What were some improvements in policing after 1888?
- Bertillon system of taking measurements and photos of suspects which can be shared. By 1900; phones improved speed of police communications.
Why was rivalry between police forces a problem?
They didn’t share info and cooperate. Whitechapel overlapped 2 police districts so this was a problem in the Ripper investigation.
How was the media a problem in the jack the ripper case?
Attracted thousands of hoax letters and theories. Convinced an “englishman” could not have done it.
When was the Jack the ripper murders?
1888
