Communication Systems of

the English Police

While Serving in Britain with the Royal Canadian Air Force, ex-Constable Jack Meek was Privileged to Have a FirstHand View of the Heart of London's Police Communication System — Police Radiomen will be Interested in His Description of the Network Which Carried on Through the Peak

VHEN I WAS posted to a remote Lin- olnshire aerodrome as navigation in- tructor I was fortunate in having */I, Norman Watson, D.F.C., as my joss. Fortunate because F/L Watson vas a former Metropolitan policeman in _ondon and had later transferred to Not- ingham City Police. As we had much of nutual interest, it was only a matter of ime that I eventually received an invi- ation to visit the Headquarters of the Nottingham City Police with him.

By a lucky coincidence F/O T. M. Youngberg, formerly of Nelson Division- il Office, B.C. Police, was visiting me, so he two of us accompanied our host to Nottingham. As we had learned by ex- yerience, it was easier and quicker to litch-hike the hundred odd miles, which ve did in excellent time. That evening ve were entertained by our host and his nany friends in a manner characteristic- ly English.

Next morning we were duly presented 0 the Chief Constable of Nottingham sity Police who, after a short chat, passed 1s to the care of the Assistant Chief, who showed us about the main building. Nottingham has one of the foremost dolice organizations in England, and the low and ultra - modern headquarters nuilding is very good evidence. The city doasts of one of the finest police schools n England, both city and county police for many miles around attending.

Perhaps the best known side of the Nottingham City Police is—or rather vas, until the war stopped its activities— he prominence of its members in almost very branch of sport. The police even lave their own football and cricket grounds. In pre-war days inter-police sports meets were popular and would in- lude athletes from various Forces all ver Western Europe.

We were taken to the photographic sec- ion of the C.I.B. where a new system of riminal photography was being experi- nented with, which involved three views nstead of the orthodox two. Also to the noulage room, with various models of louses and grounds where crimes are re-

FIFTEENTH EDITION

of the Great Blitz.

constructed and illustrated to police stu- dents. A most interesting little museum is within the building; several ancient policemen’s rattles attracted my attention. I was surprised to see the batons of the old-time “bobbies’”” were works of art; they were usually made of a light coloured wood and gaily painted in a multitude of subjects, the whole being then varnished.

SPLENDID SysTEM OF POLICE Rapro

We eventually reached the top floor and this was—to me at least—the most in- teresting section, as it housed the police

R. J. Meek.

radio system. Sergt W. O. Wigg had in- stalled the system for the Nottingham City Police and had remained with the Force since the days of their first experi- mental sets. Communication is entirely by voice, the control rooms are in the main building, but the transmitting towers are situated several miles away

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By ‘F/O R. J. MEEK, D-F.C., C.6.M.

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in a more favourable location. As in most

ommunication systems during the war, an emergency transmitter lay near at hand ever ready to take over should an emergency arise. Strangely enough, I was the first person Sergt. Wigg had ever met who was in a similar field of work, so I was overwhelmed with a barrage of tech- nical questions, only a few of which I could answer.

It seems that Nottingham City had been one of the first police organizations in England to have phone communication with cars. At the present time transmit- ters are fitted to ordinary touring cars and even to what appear at first to be ordinary commercial delivery vans. One such car is illustrated herewith, and is composed of a generator, a transmitter on 96.5 megacycles, with about 18 watts output, and a very efficient little receiver. Except- ing for the whip antenna, one would never know a radio set was in the car. Since its inception over a dozen years ago constant experiment and improve- ment have brought the system to a state of efficiency which has paid for itself many times.

We were invited for lunch in the build- ing. The Police Association provide hot meals at a very reasonable price to their members. We met many police while on our tour and all were very interested in what sort of-a law enforcement body we had in B.C. I was rather surprised at the large number of inspectors and sub- inspectors, there being approximately one to twenty constables and N.C.O.s In- cidentally, I never saw a corporal, but there were a lot of sergeants.

Ten days later I met Sergt. Stan Ken- dall of the Metropolitan Police, London. I had corresponded with Sergt. Kendall in the early 30’s when we were both en- tering our respective police forces, and this was my first meeting with him. Ken- dall had arranged a little tour for me which included historic Bow Street Police Court where we listened to a number of cases being disposed of; the Old Bailey England’s Central Criminal Court— where four separate cases were being

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