Notable Events In Week Thirtythree

Ian Curley

Palace Party

Hertfordshire Police Historical Society

This Week In History

Thursday 13 August 1931

Aberdeen Press and Journal (and many other publications) – PRISONER’S DASH FOR FREEDOM.
Caught After Exciting Street Chase. There was an exciting police chase through the streets of St. Albans last night. A prisoner was being escorted by two plain clothes officers of the Hertfordshire Constabulary, when suddenly he broke away and dashed up a side street. Pursued by a crowd of people, the man turned a corner and almost collided with a woman wheeling a perambulator. Turning again into narrow passageway leading to the High Street, the man dashed towards the cross roads. One of the plain clothes officers, who was close behind, shouted, “Stop him,” and P.C. Lee, who was on point duty, caught the man jumping on his back as he tried to dodge past. Before he was handcuffed and taken to the police station, the man pretended to faint and made another attempt to break away, but this time the officers were too quick for him.

Thursday 18 August 1960

Birmingham Daily Post – Gunmen Torture Wife in Her Home.
Police in four counties were last night searching for four well-dressed. well-spoken gunmen who raided the Harpenden, Hertfordshire. home of a London butcher and his wife, whom they gagged and bound and ransacked it.
Mr. Joseph Lincoln Williams, aged 54, was coshed. gagged and bound and his wife, Louise, also 54, was tortured until she revealed where the safe keys and jewellery were kept. “There was a knock at the door at 10.15.” Mrs. Williams said. “My husband answered it while I stayed watching television. The next thing I knew was that four men. all with guns. dragged him bleeding into the lounge. I didn’t want to tell them where the keys to the safe were kept. but they put a silk stocking round my neck and started to tighten It with a hunting horn. They kept on turning the horn, and I had to tell them where the keys were. They took nearly £6OO worth of Premium Bonds, about £2OO cash and some jewellery. All the telephones were ripped from the walls.” Mr. Williams went to work yesterday with a bandaged three-inch gash on his head. while Mrs. Williams looked after their 6.000 turkeys and four hunting horses at home. Det. Chief Supt. Leonard Elwell, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, who is in charge of investigations, said: “No clues were left, and the bloodstained cosh used on Mr. Williams has not been found.”

Friday 18 August 1939

Hertford Mercury and Reformer
Police Retirements. Two members of the Hertfordshire Constabulary who have been stationed in the Welwyn district, are retiring after 25 years’ service. They are PC H. Human, who, before going to Welwyn nine years ago, was at Ware, Croxley Heath Green and Hertford, and PC W. J. Thurley, who has been stationed in Welwyn Garden City for four years following service at Watford and Hertford.

Saturday 17 August 1850

Hertford Mercury and Reformer
BOROUGH PETTY SESSIONS, Wednesday, August 14. Present: The Mayor (Y. Crawley, Esq.); Messrs. Joseph Grippe) , and J. Hancock.
Shoplifting. Anne Green and Sarah Green, two young women, each under 20 years of age, who stated that they left Greenwich four years ago, and had been wandering about the country since, were charged with stealing four silk neckerchiefs and two silk pocket handkerchiefs, from the shop of Mr. Sedgwick, draper, of Hertford.
It appeared, from the evidence, that the young women went into Mr. Sedgwick’s shop on Saturday and pretended to be desirous of making some purchases, and while the shopman was showing them some goods, one of them contrived to pull two parcels of handkerchiefs on the floor. Mr. Sedgwick observed the woman who had pulled down the parcels stoop to pick them up, but said nothing at the moment, as his attention was taken by person who came into the shop with a note. ‘While engaged reading the note, he saw the woman stoop again. He then went round the counter to her, and said (pointing to the front of her dress), “You have got something more there than you ought not to have; take it out.” After denying that she had anything, and hesitating good deal, she yielded to a threat made Mr. Sedgwick, of sending for the police, and pulled out from a capacious pocket, extending all round the front of her gown, two neckerchiefs.
Mr. Sedgwick then went to the door to look for the police, and while he was gone, the shopman observed the same young woman pull out from the same capacious receptacle, two other neckerchiefs and two pocket handkerchiefs. Mr. Knight, the superintendent of police, then came, and the women were given into custody. On being taken to the station-house, they were searched by Mrs. Knight, who found the “capacious pocket” and 1 shilling 10 and a half pence on one of them. On being apprehended, the youngest of the two women said she and her sister would not have committed the offence if they had not been in want of a breakfast. Mr. Knight afterwards went to lodgings of the prisoners in Back Street, and there found a bundle belonging to them, which contained quantity of drapery goods, amongst which there three dresses—one partly made up, and some silk handkerchiefs. He then inquired of the drapers of the town, and found that the prisoners had visited them the previous day, and that one of them missed several articles after their departure. He had doubt some of the articles would be identified.
The prisoners were committed for trial.

Wednesday 16 August 1899

Globe
The new appointment of twenty members of the Hertfordshire Constabulary as scorcher catchers is likely to produce some very pretty developments. Will the policemen have to pass a time test on the machines and will they themselves liable if they exceed the pace of “safety warrants” If the orthodox gait of the policeman is any test of his speed on a cycle, it may well happen that even those whom he may be unable to catch and tackle will not have exceeded the legal rate of progression.

General Order No. 33/1999 16 August 1999

4. MINUTE TAKING COURSE TUESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1999
The Law & Development Training Department will be running a Minute Taking Course in the Training Room, Welwyn Garden City Police Station.
This course is intended for any member of staff who has to take minutes as part of their work, and is being run as a direct result of the training request which have been received at Headquarters.

Applications should be submitted on PMDR Form 2 (the old 140.g) via your line manager, to reach Training Administration by Monday 30 August 1999. If you have previously submitted a training request, please telephone ext 42** or 44** to confirm that you still require this training.
Places on this course will be limited, however there will be further Minute Taking Courses held in the near future, according to demand.
(Human Resources Department)

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