5. Corruption in the Blackpool Police Force
I had an idea of becoming a police constable and for that purpose had sent an application to the Blackpool Police Force, and arrived there on Easter Monday. I was appointed and after a few week's training I become a fully fledged third class constable. However, I was destined to receive quite a shock. The policeman's job was not what I had expected it to be. I had always thought them to be truthful and impartial, doing their duty without fear or favour, but I was not long in finding this was not so.
My wife came to reside in Blackpool six weeks after me and we set up housekeeping there but she never liked the place and was never as happy as when we had been at St. Bees. However, we remained about two years. I then gave notice that I wished to leave. What had an effect on making me come to this decision was the partiality that was shown to the members of the Force.
I had joined the Force under the impression of being a conscientious policeman and it was my intention to put the law into operation to all who broke it, if within my knowledge. I am afraid I was either too honest or too blind at this time to know this would not do. I had reported different persons from amongst the middle classes, for different offences, and I have stood in the Police Court waiting for my case to be called a good many times, for up to two or three hours, but they were not called. Of course, the poorer offenders I reported were always called and dealt with according to the gravity of their respective cases.
I often wondered at this time why they did not drill the recruits into differentiating between who they should report and who they should not. Included amongst those I reported were Councillors, Councillors' sons and Watch Committee men. I may say here that I have always been a man who dare call a spade a spade and can claim to have been an honest constable. As far as fear went at this time I feared no man and I was quite an efficient officer, obtaining my first class rank in eighteen months and passing three examinations in ambulance work. Of course, this was essential.
However, when I had been there a fortnight over eighteen months I slept twenty minutes late one morning. When going on early turn it means being on duty at South King Street Police Station at 6 a.m. It was a very common occurrence for someone to be a few minutes late but there was never anything said about it. But the sergeant on that morning was one Howarth, and he reported me for being late. This same man, a fortnight before this, gave me a visit at Hounds Hill at about 7.50 a.m. and said "Put it 6.15 a.m., Hounds Hill". He did this twice in one week. Of course I did, and said nothing about it, and then he was mean enough to report me for a paltry twenty minutes.
My punishment for this was that I must forfeit my next twenty-four hour's exemption from duty. I thought this was not so bad and I was quite satisfied to take my medicine but when pay day came they had stopped my first class pay for a month. This made a difference in my pay of 2/7d. per week. This got my Irish up, more especially when I recalled the punishment that had been handed out to men for more serious misdemeanours than mine. Five policemen drinking in the Crown Hotel, drunks on duty, shirking beats, one fellow knocked some of P.S. Butterworth's teeth down his throat, and 5/-d. was the biggest fine inflicted. My fine was 10/4d., plus twenty-four hour's holiday cancelled.
This determined me in severing my connection with the Blackpool Police Force. At the time I joined we started at 25/6d. per week. We became second class in nine months and first class in eighteen months. 25/6d., 26/8d. and 29/11d. were the scales of pay. The next rise was at the end of six years, 32/6d. I knew on leaving I could at least make as much money as the highest pay right away. In addition to this, as I said before my wife never liked it and was always wishing I would leave, so I did.
I don't intend going into any record of my service here, - suffice it to say it was better than two thirds of the Force and at least as good as the other third. But there was a bigger surprise awaiting me. I gave my month's notice in on a Friday morning, going on early turn and finishing my tour of duty at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Coming on at that time the Inspector told me I had to bring my clothes in and finish at once. But this was where they made a mistake and they had to pay me a month's pay in lieu of notice.
Thus ended my short career as a police constable. I went the next day and got a job navvying. I think this will be a record even for Blackpool, - a policeman one day and a navvy the next. However, it proved another little bit of knowledge that we gain as we go through life, each of us in our different spheres are able to add our little bit to the total at the end of our time. Although it may be only a small contribution it counts.
As I said, they had to pay for wrongful dismissal. The cheque was sent to me by M. Loftus, the Town Clerk, for my signature and discharge of any further claim I might have on the Blackpool Police Force. I thought to myself this does not satisfy my claim but, on second thoughts, I thought the Corporation was too big a body for me to fight so I wrote to my solicitor to this effect. He was a Mr. Briggs of Berley Street, Blackpool. He agreed with me and suggested settling on the terms offered. I signed the cheque, - I think it was for about £5. 15s. 0d., - and returned it to Mr. Briggs and from that day I never had a turn of a pen from Mr. Briggs. Of course I had come back to live at St. Bees. But a year or two after I read in the paper "A Blackpool solicitor struck off the Rolls and gets three years for using other peoples' money". I might here have added my little bit of knowledge for Mr. Briggs's benefit but I had got over it and did not bother.