Notable Events In Week Five

Lord Chief Justice Goddard Inspecting Officers At The Opening Of Oxhey Police Station

Hertfordshire Police Historical Society

This Week In History

28/1/1927

On 28 January 1927 Police Federation brought to the Chief Constable’s attention the fact that certain members of the force while on strike duty at Ilkeston in Derbyshire, were poisoned by food supplied through the Derbyshire Police Authority which necessitated their being placed on the sick list, through no fault of their own, and whilst so sick were put under stoppages of pay. Chief Constable decreed that the officer’s sickness should be treated as an injury on duty and that an appropriate refund should be made to them.

28/1/1999

Home Detention Curfew Scheme
The powers to introduce Home Detention Curfew under which selected short term prisoners may be able to spend up to the last two months of their sentence under an electronically monitored curfew licence are contained in Sections 99 and 100 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Commonly referred to as ‘TAGGING’ by the media, it will commence nationwide on 28 January 1999. The main features of the scheme are: Prisoners serving sentences of from three months to under four years’ imprisonment may be eligible. The curfew period may vary from 14-60 days, depending on the length of the original sentence. The minimum period of the curfew is nine hours per day. It will usually be twelve hours, although there is no maximum and will normally be between 7pm and 7am. Failure to comply with the terms of the curfew, inability to monitor the curfew electronically and risk of serious harm to the public can result in the licence being revoked and the prisoner returned to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence. Monitoring services will be provided by contractors, Premier Monitoring Services. Whilst the priority to be given to individual cases will be an operational matter for local police, ACPO have indicated that HDC recalls should be treated as urgent cases. When recalled prisoners are in custody, the police should contact the nearest suitable prison establishment to arrange their return. Only when prisons are not taking new receptions due to population demands will they refuse. Once the receiving prison has been identified, the local PECS contractor will convey the prisoner back to prison. ‘Exceptionally dangerous’ prisoners will be the responsibility of the police. (General Order 4 of 1999)

30/1/1925

Parking places for motorcars. (General Order 16 of 1925)
In conjunction with local authorities it is been agreed with a view to obviating obstruction of the highway while drivers of cars are engaged in shopping, to fix the undermentioned thoroughfares in the respective divisions as parking places for motor cars for short periods. Persons wishing to park motorcars are to be informed of the various places available.
A Division
Bishops Stortford – The Causeway
Ware – Market Place, Ranklin Square
Buntingford – Market Hill
B Division
Hertford – Bull Plain, lower end of Queens Road outside police station. Church Street.
Hoddesdon – Market Place, near Clock House.
Hatfield – East side of Square, one side of Cage Hill and lower end of Church Street.
Welwyn – The plain near St Mary’s Hall.
C Division
Watford – Church Street, Smith Street, Granville Road, Derby Road, Marlborough Road, Rosslyn Road, Brixton Road.
Rickmansworth – Ebury Road
D Division
Hemel Hempstead – Alma Road, Christchurch
Tring – Open space in front of Victoria Hall and its Northside approach in Akeman Street, ground in front of Britannia public house, Western Road.
Harpenden – Open space on Church Green, from Sampson’s shop to the parish gates.
Berkhamsted – Station Road where Road joint railway between railway bridges.
E Division
Hitchin – Market Square, Hermitage Road Southside, Bedford Road, Fishponds Road adjacent to Butts Close.
Baldock – High Street, Southside between New Road and the Gun public house, Whitehorse Street Northside.
Letchworth – Norton Way opposite Free Church, Station Place, spare piece of ground outside the club, station place. The Broadway from Barclays bank to primitive Methodist Church. Gernon Rd. Stevenage – Waste ground between the White Lion public house and the Bowling Green.
Royston – Sun Hill, The Marketplace.

31/1/1953

Oxhey Police Station was formally opened on the 31/1/1953 by the Lord Chief Justice of England Lord Goddard.

Rear Yard Of Oxhey Police Station c. 1953

February 1989

Early in 1989, the Force took delivery of a new Crime Reporting System. The system was developed and in place by the end of the year at all Divisions. The system allows for fast searches for stolen property and management of crime and statistics. A crime bureau has been established at HQ for the inputting of data on a 24 hour basis. (CIS)

1/2/1881

On 1 February 1881, the force was reorganised into five divisions and the duties of the offices were laid down. For example, sergeants will attend one or other of the conference points in his section every night and will be constantly on patrol looking after the working of the men on his section. He will attend the scene of every offence committed within the section. The new divisions were:
“A” or Ware Division
“B” or Bishops Stortford Division
“C” or St. Albans Division
“D” or Hemel Hempstead Division
“E” or Hitchin Division
“R” or Reserve Division (HQ at Hertford).

3/2/1864

Letter from the Home Office to the Chairman of Quarter Sessions for the County of Herts, reporting a system of private communication which appears to be in operation between individuals or societies and members of the Constabulary force, requesting that instructions may be given to the Constabulary of your county to prevent a practice which is open to very serious objection.
Sadly the report in the County Council minutes does not expand any further.

3/2/1964

Times 3/2/1964 Crime Rates in New Towns
To The Editor of the Times
Sir, according to a report of January 30th, Mr P Crowder told the House of Commons that “as Chairman of the Hertfordshire Quarter Sessions he knew that the crime rate was increasing almost entirely because of the growth of the new towns”, which he went on, “are tending to become a hotbed for criminal activities”. The latest available national figures, (for 1962) shows the crime rate in Hertfordshire to be the same as in other Home Counties. For 1963, however, the Chief Constable has given me the figures of indictable crimes per 1000 population in Hertfordshire’s four new towns and its two largest old towns. They are as follows:
Stevenage – 19 per 1000 population
Hemel Hempstead – 17 per 1000 population
Hatfield – 17 per 1000 population
Welwyn Garden City – 17 per 1000 population
Watford – 23 per 1000 population
St Albans – 26 per 1000 population
Mr Crowder, has been chairman of the Quarter Sessions for only 18 months, but he ought to know the facts better than he does. Yours faithfully Frank G. Edwards Mayor and Bailiff, Justice of the Peace, Hemel Hempstead.