31-671: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson KCB (19 April 1821 – 8 December 1896) was an officer in the British Army who was Comptroller-General of Convicts in Western Australia from 1850 to 1863, Home Office Surveyor-General of Prisons from 1863 to 1869, and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis , head of the London Metropolitan Police , from 1869 to 1886. Henderson
62-582: A prostitute falsely accused Wovenden of raping her in a cell and Lazenby refused to discipline him. The Commissioners felt obliged to dismiss the two officers for the good of the force, but refused to accept their guilt and wrote to the government in protest. This paid off when the consequent Parliamentary Select Committee on the Police reported on 13 August, backing the Metropolitan Police (although Wovenden and Lazenby were never reinstated), removing
93-773: A rivalry which was to continue for the rest of his tenure. In order to spread his constables more widely and make them more available, Henderson established the fixed point system . He increased the Detective Branch to over 200 men and started the Habitual Criminals Register . He grouped the Divisions into Districts and introduced Schoolmaster Sergeants in each division to increase the literacy of his constables. However, Henderson faced problems. The authorities decided, against his advice, to reduce pensions and this, coupled with low wages, led to
124-601: A wing of the 52nd Foot at the Battle of Waterloo , where he was wounded, and was made a Companion of the Bath (CB) for his services. He returned to England with his regiment in 1818, and was stationed in the Midlands until 1821, when he took it to Dublin as commanding officer . He retired from the army by sale of his commission on 26 April 1822 and may then have served as a magistrate in his native Ireland. In June 1829, Rowan
155-573: Is commander , and the comparable rank in the Royal Air Force and many Commonwealth air forces is wing commander . The rank insignia in the British Army and Royal Marines , as well as many Commonwealth countries, is a crown above a four-pointed "Bath" star , also colloquially referred to as a "pip" . The crown has varied in the past with different monarchs; the current one being the Tudor Crown. Most other Commonwealth countries use
186-544: The 52nd Regiment of Foot , in which his elder brother Robert (1780–1863) was also a captain, as recorded on the latter's tomb monument at St Nicholas Church in Carrickfergus. He was promoted Paymaster in 1798, lieutenant in 1799, captain in 1803, brevet major in 1809, major in 1811, Brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1812, and finally lieutenant-colonel – all his promotions above captain were field promotions, not purchases. Rowan saw active service during
217-818: The Napoleonic Wars , in Sicily in 1806–1808, Sweden in 1808, and then in the Peninsular War , fighting at the Battles of Corunna , Ciudad Rodrigo , Badajoz , Buçaco , Fuentes d'Oñoro , the Côa and Salamanca , and serving as brigade major of the Light Brigade from 1809 and as assistant adjutant-general of the Light Division from 1811. As regimental second-in-command , he commanded
248-641: The Bath (KCB). In 1850, aged nearly 68 and having been diagnosed with colon cancer , he retired. He died at his residence in Norfolk Street (now known as Dunraven Street), Park Lane , London on 8 May 1852, and his remains were deposited in Catacomb B beneath the Anglican Chapel of Kensal Green Cemetery six days later. Rowan was a bachelor and an evangelical Anglican . His principal hobbies were salmon fishing and shooting, often using as
279-707: The Detectives ), but survived it with his reputation intact. In 1878, he was made a Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB). But, by this stage, Henderson was starting to lose his control of the force. He ignored the fact that the District Superintendents were becoming ineffective and that two of the four posts had fallen vacant. When the Fenian bombing campaign opened in 1883, he left its handling largely to his assistants, particularly Howard Vincent , James Monro and Robert Anderson . On 8 February 1886,
310-535: The Metropolis. He was an ideal compromise candidate between those who wanted a military man as Commissioner and those who thought the job should go to a civilian. Although a former army officer, Henderson had served in civilian appointments for the last eighteen years. He was also unknown to the British public, allowing him to establish a reputation only on his achievements as Commissioner. Henderson immediately endeared himself to his men by abolishing or relaxing some of
341-492: The Regiment . Charles Rowan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Rowan KCB ( circa 1782 – 8 May 1852) was an officer in the British Army , serving in the Peninsular War and Waterloo and the joint first Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis , head of the London Metropolitan Police . Rowan was the fifth of the ten sons of Robert Rowan, an impoverished landowner of Scottish descent. His eldest brother
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#1732801220254372-470: The boundary between Canada and New Brunswick , which had been ceded to Britain by the United States, until November 1848, when he returned to England with his new wife, Mary Murphy. He spent the next two years based at Gravesend . When Western Australia became a penal colony in 1850, Henderson was appointed the colony's first Comptroller-General of Convicts. He travelled to Western Australia with
403-466: The colony in January 1863. On his return to Britain, he was appointed Chairman of Directors and Surveyor-General of Prisons and Inspector-General of Military Prisons on 29 July 1863, succeeding Sir Joshua Jebb . He sold his army commission in 1864 and was made a Companion of the Bath (CB) in 1868. In 1869, Henderson was appointed to succeed Sir Richard Mayne as second sole Commissioner of Police of
434-539: The division of London into six divisions , each divided into eight sections , each of which was divided into eight beats . The beat system, with each constable almost overlapping the next, was based on the Shorncliffe System for light infantry , devised by Sir John Moore , Rowan's commander in the Peninsula (and who had paid for his captaincy in 1803). It is possible that it was Rowan's idea to outfit
465-542: The first police strike in 1872. The Commissioner dealt with the situation efficiently, dismissing the ringleaders and then allowing most of them to rejoin the force. Although the reputation of the Met was harmed by this incident, Henderson himself was not criticised by the press. He faced an even more serious situation in 1877, when four senior officers of the Detective Branch were put on trial for corruption ( Trial of
496-610: The first convicts on board the Scindian , arriving on 1 June 1850. He found the colony completely unprepared for the convicts, lacking even a jail large enough to house them. Henderson secured lodging for the convicts at a ware house owned by Captain Scott , the harbour master. Henderson then began construction of a place for the warders to stay and in time the Convict Establishment, later known as Fremantle Prison . He
527-590: The mishandling of the Trafalgar Square Riot exposed his inefficiency, and on 22 February the Home Secretary Hugh Childers accepted his resignation. Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom) Lieutenant colonel ( Lt Col ), is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major , and subordinate to colonel . The comparable Royal Navy rank
558-758: The new force faced opposition from the Whigs , who had opposed its formation and formed a new government four years afterwards, and the London magistrates and parish vestries , many of whom were none too keen on losing their own parish constables and in some cases continued to employ the services of the Bow Street Runners . The trouble with the Whigs came to a head in 1834, when the government demanded that Rowan and Mayne dismiss Inspector Squire Wovenden and his divisional commander, Superintendent Lazenby, after
589-485: The other hand, Rowan insisted that his senior officers treat their men with kindness and fairness and without undue harshness or authoritarianism. On 16 September 1829, the two Commissioners personally swore in their new constables at the Foundling Hospital . The new force first took to the streets at 6:00 p.m. on 29 September. For 21 years, Rowan served as Commissioner. The early years were difficult, as
620-403: The petty regulations imposed by Mayne and his first colleague, Sir Charles Rowan . For the first time, for instance, officers were permitted to grow facial hair. They were also allowed to vote for the first time, having initially been prevented by regulations forbidding them to take part in political activity. Henderson clashed with Receiver Maurice Drummond over an increase in pay for his men,
651-409: The police in more civilian-styled blue uniforms rather than the scarlet and gold that Peel had originally envisaged. Since there was heated debate over whether the police should even be uniformed at all (due to fears of a European-style gendarmerie ), this was undoubtedly a wise move. Rowan did, however, insist that his men were drilled and laid down the highest standards of conduct, dismissing men for
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#1732801220254682-534: The power of the magistrates over them, and abolishing most of the other constables in London (including the Bow Street Runners, many of whom transferred to the police). In 1835, Lord John Russell , the Home Secretary, even agreed to pay compensation to officers injured on duty. On 6 March 1848, Rowan's achievements and those of his force were acknowledged when he was made a Knight Commander of
713-624: The same insignia, or with the state emblem replacing the crown. In the modern British Armed forces, the established commander of a regiment or battalion is a lieutenant colonel. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of lieutenant colonel. It was superseded by the rank of wing commander on the following day. Certain regiments of the British Army have honorary appointments as Regimental Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Regimental Lieutenant Colonel . These are similar in nature and less in rank to Colonel of
744-412: The slightest infringement even before the police had begun patrolling the streets of London. During the first two years of the force's existence, half of its original constables were dismissed, mainly for drunkenness, absenteeism, and frequenting pubs and fraternising with prostitutes while on duty. Officers were to ensure that they treated members of the public with respect and courtesy at all times. On
775-513: The top of the building. On 29 August, they were sworn in as justices of the peace by Lord Chief Baron Sir William Alexander . The two Commissioners were almost entirely responsible for the organisation of the new force. In twelve weeks, they managed to recruit, train, organise, equip and deploy a force of nearly one thousand men. They drew up regulations and pay scales, designed and ordered uniforms and equipment, and found, purchased and furnished station houses . Rowan's military experience led to
806-534: Was "a kindly and just man, moderate and understanding, opposed to the harsher forms of discipline. He thought that flogging as a punishment did more harm than good, and might be abolished except in rare cases, and that putting men in chains was useless and aggravating." Henderson married Mary Murphy in 1848. Following her death in 1855, he visited England with his son the following year and in 1857 married Maria Hindle. Henderson returned to Australia in 1858. He finally resigned as Comptroller-General of Convicts and left
837-586: Was Lieutenant-Colonel John Rowan , whilst other brothers were Field Marshal Sir William Rowan (1789–1879), Britain's Commander-in-Chief, North America (1849), and Major James Rowan (born 1781), who was appointed Chief Police Magistrate for the Town and Territory of Gibraltar in 1830. Born in County Antrim , Charles went to school in Carrickfergus . In 1797, he was commissioned an ensign in
868-708: Was born in Muddiford , near Christchurch , Hampshire , England, the son of Vice-Admiral George Henderson of the Royal Navy and Frances Elizabeth Walcott-Sympson. His brother William George Henderson was Dean of Carlisle . He was educated in Bruton , Somerset and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich . He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 6 June 1838 and
899-516: Was promoted First Lieutenant in 1840, Second Captain in 1847, First Captain in 1854, Brevet Major in 1858, and Lieutenant-Colonel in 1862. He undertook his professional training at Chatham and was then posted to Canada in 1839. He returned to England in 1845 and spent a year in Portsmouth before being posted back to Canada in June 1846. He was in charge of surveying the western half of
930-592: Was selected by Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel as founding senior Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police after the first man offered the post, Lieutenant-Colonel James Shaw Kennedy , had turned it down. Peel was probably acting on advice from the Duke of Wellington and Sir George Murray , Wellington's Quartermaster-General in the Peninsula and now Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in his government, who had been impressed by Rowan's conduct at Waterloo. Rowan
961-533: Was to provide the military discipline and organisation that it was felt the new police force needed and the junior Commissioner, barrister Richard Mayne , was to provide the legal expertise. Over the next twenty years, the two men were to become firm friends, and their close co-operation was to provide a solid foundation for the new police force. Rowan and Mayne took up their new posts on 7 July 1829. Later that month, they moved their offices into 4 Whitehall Place , and Rowan also took up residence in an apartment at