During the period 1830-1847 there existed in Bradford the following small groups of men: worsted inspectors, parish constables and Night Watchmen. Each group of men had their own duties, hours and supervisors – all however had little training, no means of defending themselves and had to take other employment to survive.
The Worsted inspectors were paid by mill owners to guard their wool and textile stocks and investigate if theft occurred. Parish Constables were paid by the wealthy of the parish to keep the area safe during day time. Night Watchmen were paid a small wage by the ratepayers during winter to patrol only the heart of the town for 6 hours a night.
In 1831 Bradford had attempted to set up a small group of men who would be responsible for enforcing law and order upon Bradford’s population of 23,000.
The appointment of William Brigg, his two assistants and an ever fluctuating number of ‘Special Constables’ failed to have much effect on maintaining law in Bradford.
In part this was because only Brigg and his assistants were paid which meant the manpower, they attracted to assist them was not always of the best quality (with some being susceptible to bribery). Sadly, these men had no powers of arrest given to them by law, no weapons and no training before commencing their duties. More importantly until the completion Swaine Street Station House in 1837, Bradford had no proper police station in which to organise these men, keep reports and records, hold prisoners or receive information from members of the public.
In 1847 Bradford was granted Borough status and it was decided that there was a responsibility and an expectation (from the government and the public) to provide Bradford with its first proper police force. As a result of this decision some of Bradford’s most upstanding and influential citizens on 18th November 1847 formed the Bradford Watch Committee to establish, instruct and monitor Bradford’s first police force.
On 9th December 1847 an advertisement was placed in the Bradford Observer for a Superintendent, 2 day sergeants, 10 day constables, 4 night sergeants, 4 night constables and 2 detectives to form what becomes the Bradford Borough Police. 600 applications were received for this post which enabled the Bradford Watch Committee to choose from a large pool those whom they considered the best candidates (between 22 and 35 years of age, over 5ft 7inches and free to make the Bradford Borough Police his first priority)
From 1847 until 1897 the Bradford Borough Police travelled a rather rocky road in its efforts to become an organised and professional force with a proper structure and policemen who were properly utilised. On the 1st January 1848 the Bradford Borough Police was established with a proper structured police force with each man having his own duties and responsibilities.
Every Bradford Borough Policeman would be answerable to a superior and the Chief Constable, and the Chief Constable himself would be responsible to the Watch Committee for the expenditure, regulations and appointments of the force.
From 1848 until to 1892 the Bradford Borough Force would have a strict segregation of policemen during their police career into one of 3 departments (day police, night police and detectives). The decision to have a dedicated group for detective work was admirable (as not every force prioritised this) and in a town which was becoming a city most necessary. The detective work performed by the Bradford Borough Police seems to have been very good and nothing demonstrates this better than the very swift work performed during the Bradford Sweet Poisoning in November 1858. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the decision to have Night Constables who worked 9pm to 6am and Day Constables who worked 6am to 1.30pm or 1.30pm to 9pm meant much work towards apprehending criminals was impaired due to tiredness or miscommunication.
During a particularly violent period in Bradford during 1867/1868 the Justices of the Peace were forced to swear in 3000 volunteers as Special Constables just to give the Police Constables some support. It is undeniable that between 1848 and 1892 the police force was consistently too small for the number of inhabitants it had to watch over and the amount of ground it had to cover. For the first few decades the chances of the Bradford Borough Police apprehending many of its criminals was slim due to their powers of arrest & enquiry stopped outside the town limits (due to some parts of the borough refusing to pay for protection of the police force and the existence of other police forces). The progressive and positive decisions made in this period were only possible after the focused growth of the Bradford Borough Police. These improvements to the working conditions of Bradford Borough Police Constables included:
(1853) paying their Constables based on the length of their service,
(1856) protecting the police from political pressure in line with the requirements of The Police Act
(1858) providing a superannuation/pension service to ill or old constables who sought to resign
(1878) granting 1 unpaid day of rest every 2 weeks and 7 days paid holiday per annum to each police constable
(1891 -1892) restructuring shift work (so that it would be varied in hours and duties).
The Chief Constable’s decision in 1896 to appoint clerical staff to work in Bradford’s police stations was also an important step forward in how the Bradford Borough Police operated.
Not only did typed (rather than handwritten) reports and memorandums prove more accurate in tracing criminals it also freed up the police constable for more important duties.The decision of the Bradford Borough Police to establish police stations throughout the town and later locations on its outskirts helped control the Bradford and the villages around it. Between 1854 and 1882 the area controlled by the Bradford Borough police grew and in recognition of this more than a dozen police stations were established: some were purpose built; other buildings were purchased or leased to accommodate Police Sergeants, their family and the Police Constables who worked with them.
Bradford’s second police station was opened in 1854 at Southgate, Great Horton.
The first non-district police stations in Bradford at Manningham, Manchester Road and Bowling were opened in 1859. Almost all of the other police stations in this period were basically “police houses” offering little in the way of cells and equipment, but they did provide a local omnipotent police presence. Only New Leeds Road Police Station (1877) and the new police HQ at Bradford Town Hall (the police moved in gradually between 1872 and 1876) were both purpose-built with a view to providing all the modern facilities needed for an up to date police force (cells, good lighting, office space, stables, photographic studio, surgeons room).
The equipment issued to Constables in the Bradford Borough Police was in most part effective as a deterrent rather than a means of defence against a serious attack.
On average 1 in every 100 Bradford Police Constables each year died as result of wounds received on duty. Throughout the 1848-1914 Bradford’s Police Constables were expected to defend themselves with truncheons, long sticks and clubs. Until 1865 these Police Constables were not even issued with handcuffs. Their ability to apprehend a criminal relied on the good sense, luck, the co-operation of the public and their ability to use their weapon without killing the usual knife carrying criminal. British Policemen – unlike their counterparts in Europe, America and the Empire - were not provided with any sort of firearm. So until the introduction of whistles in 1856 a Bradford Borough Police Constable would have relied on his stick to summon help. Smaller versions the Night Watchmen’s oil filled lanterns (either hand held or worn on a belt) were still used by the Bradford Borough Police during this era. The Bradford Borough Police’s failure to own both horses (to provide a proper mounted section) and horse drawn vehicles (both had to be hired) prior to 1878 meant catching a prisoner and transporting him to court or prison was difficult and time consuming. However, the decision to install first Telegraph machines in all their police stations during 1870-1878 and later (about 1890) a photographic studio signals the beginning of the Bradford Borough Police embracing new technology in their law enforcement.
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