H Division in Whitechapel

What was H Division?

H Division was the division of the London Metropolitan Police responsible for Whitechapel.

Who worked in H Division?

Records show that, at the time of the Ripper murders, H Division contained:

• ❖ 27 inspectors.
• ❖ 37 sergeants.
• ❖ 15 detectives.
• ❖ About 500 constables.

What did the H Division constables do?

There were 6 main roles that Constables of H Division fulfilled:

• ❖ They worked a beat system, patrolling an area in circles.
• ❖ During the day, one circuit of the beat involved about half an hour walking. At night, it would be 15 minutes.
• ❖ They would get to know the area well, and were expected to know the different buildings and businesses and talk to residents.
• ❖ They would have regular meetings with their beat sergeant and record their findings in a diary.
• ❖ They were monitored by the sergeant to ensure they were working their beat properly. They could be fined or sacked if they were considered to be slacking.
• ❖ It was a boring job with low pay, but policemen could expect to be promoted if they worked well.

Who were the H Division detectives?

There were 3 key H Division detectives:

• ❖ The lead detective on the Ripper case in H Division was Frederick Abberline. He had spent years policing the streets of Whitechapel before becoming an inspector.
• ❖ Inspector Edmund Reid spent 18 years as head of CID in H Division.
• ❖ Superintendent Thomas Arnold was an ex-soldier who joined the Met after leaving the army. He was chief inspector of H Division from 1874 before his promotion to head of the station.

What did the Whitechapel residents think of H Division?

The police were unpopular in the Whitechapel area for a number of reasons.

• ❖ There was a lot of poverty so people resented the government, which was represented by the police.
• ❖ Crime was high, so people didn't feel well protected.
• ❖ There was a lot of alcoholism, prostitution and racial tension in Whitechapel, so people resented the police for interfering in their lives.

What was the role of H Division in Whitechapel?

The police in Whitechapel had 4 main roles in Whitechapel:

• ❖ Dealing with crime.
• ❖ Providing poor relief.
• ❖ Running soup kitchens.
• ❖ Looking after homeless and orphaned children.

Why was policing difficult for H Division?

Police in Whitechapel faced 4 key difficulties in dealing with crime.

• ❖ They were unpopular in the area, so people were less likely to give them information.
• ❖ The streets were very dark at nights.
• ❖ The streets were narrow and maze-like, which made it easier for criminals to get away.
• ❖ The area's social problems meant there was a lot of crime.

How did H Division improve after the Ripper investigation?

Following the Ripper case there were 3 key improvements in policing in H Division:

• ❖ Record-keeping of known criminals, with the Bertillon system and fingerprinting.
• ❖ Improved conditions in Whitechapel.
• ❖ Communications between police stations.

How did communication in H Division change?

Communications between police and police stations didn't improve greatly in the years following the Ripper case. H Division had a telephone line installed in 1901 and bicycles for policemen in 1909, but this was much later than other police stations.

Was there a reduction in crime in H Division after the Ripper case?

Crime increased after 1888 in 3 main ways:

• ❖ There was an increase in hooliganism, including young men deliberately frightening prostitutes by imitating the Ripper.
• ❖ There were more attacks on prostitutes. Prostitution continued and prostitutes remained vulnerable to crime.
• ❖ There was an increase in burglaries.