Shadow of great britain

The new lecture hall just completed at the University of London was packed with current affairs journalists from London's major newspapers.

Arthur, who was wearing the full uniform of a senior Scotland Yard police officer, sat on the stage. He reached out and took the pen from Louis' hand, and signed the document in front of him confidently.

Although his signing posture is as chic as ever, if you look closely, you can still find the difference in Arthur today.

If we express it in artistic language, it means that the burden on Mr. Hastings's shoulders is even heavier.

If expressed in simpler language, it is that in addition to the St. Edward's emblem, there is an additional baton on his shoulder straps.

Of course, with the addition of this baton, his business card has also been updated accordingly.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, London Metropolitan Police,

Chief of the London Police Intelligence Service, part of the Metropolitan Police Service,

Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the London Police School of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,

and proposed Mr. Arthur Hastings as the first principal.

The ink on the business card has not dried completely, and you can still feel a little warmth when you touch it lightly with your fingers.

Although it didn't take long to sign, Arthur enjoyed the process.

Because this may be the easiest job he has done in the past few months, and even in the next few months.

Arthur stood up with a smile, exchanged agreement documents with Principal Horner, who was sitting opposite him, and then tightly held the former teacher's arm and shook it vigorously.

"Mr Horner, I am delighted that Scotland Yard has reached a partnership agreement with the University of London. I have no doubt that the University of London will provide adequate training for Scotland Yard's mid-level staff and they will use what they have learned here. Knowledge is given back to Londoners. I believe that with our joint efforts, all the vicious criminals in London will be able to escape."

Although Principal Horner tried his best to conceal his excitement, the corners of his mouth that couldn't stop rising still betrayed his true feelings.

"I have to admit that if the most important breakthrough for the University of London in 1831 was the successful grant of a royal charter for teaching, then our headline news in 1832 was the partnership agreement with Scotland Yard. Arthur, believe me, choose Working with the University of London is the best decision you will ever make."

Arthur just smiled and joked after hearing this: "Mr. Principal, I don't think so. I think the best decision in my life is to choose to become a student here, so after all, it is just a matter of promoting Scotland Yard and the University of London to reach a cooperation agreement. To be in the second correct position.”

Horner laughed and said: "Second right is also correct. This is much better than going to some church university and making the wrong decision. I am not bragging on behalf of the school, but as our outstanding graduates, you should understand that University of London The talent pool in chemistry, geology, medicine and other fields of natural philosophy cannot be compared with that of any two church universities."

"Of course." Arthur replied with a smile: "After all, Scotland Yard does not expect police officers to weaken the power of criminals by reciting poems. What we need is more scientific theories, more advanced and professional training , this is the most important reason why we chose the University of London.”

The young and old people on the stage were enjoying themselves, while the reporters in the audience couldn't wait to ask questions.

Seeing that he was in a good mood today, Arthur was also happy to answer their questions.

However, all he could say was just repeating what Che Lulu had just said countless times.

As for why he prompted and was able to promote Scotland Yard to choose to cooperate with the University of London instead of the annoying King's College next door, which also offers many subjects in the field of natural philosophy, Arthur will certainly not tell the real reason.

In fact, the real reason is not that complicated. You can understand it by just looking at the list of the Board of Trustees of King's College.

After the death of King George IV, the Duke of Wellington is currently chairman of the Board of Trustees of King's College.

Oxford and Cambridge universities are the headquarters of the clergy, and King's College next door is the training base for the new force of the Tory conservative party.

Therefore, it was not too difficult for Arthur to persuade the Ministry of Internal Affairs to accept cooperation with the University of London.

For the Treasury, which is responsible for preparing Scotland Yard's annual budget, the University of London is also a pretty good choice.

The reason is that their tuition fees are really cheap compared to classical church universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

And the location in London also allows the Treasury to avoid having to worry about reimbursing high commuting costs for police officers.

Not to mention Arthur convinced them that the quality of education at London University was indeed excellent.

Even if the current social reputation and recognition of the University of London cannot catch up with Oxford and Cambridge, it can at least rank third in England.

Although there are only four universities in England for the time being, we are not the last one, right?

At least in Arthur's opinion, if a university can even educate guys like Elder, then who else can't they educate?

It was cheap, efficient, provided a relatively high-quality education, and was a Whig stronghold.

Even if the land of England is turned upside down, no university can be found that is more suitable for training key police officers than the University of London.

Therefore, this matter naturally passed the approval without much resistance.

With the help of the University of London, Scotland Yard can build the framework of a police school in a short period of time, and the University of London also reaps the training income of the government department. This is indeed a win-win deal.

Principal Horner, who was beaming from ear to ear, even made many heroic promises during an interview with reporters.

He said that the University of London will make good use of this opportunity to cooperate with Scotland Yard to explore ways to open up new disciplines in criminal crime. He also boldly imagined that the University of London may consider opening a dedicated police academy at the school in the future.

The purpose of the school's teaching is not only to help Scotland Yard train outstanding police officers on the job. In the future, it is more likely to be dedicated to educating specialized forensic and toxicology talents and sending them to serve in multiple departments under Scotland Yard to provide services to London. Provide citizens with a more secure and safer social environment.

And when reporters pointed out that there had never been a school specifically trained for the police in British history, did such behavior indicate that the government was strengthening its control over the British people?

Arthur, who had long expected that they would ask such a question, used the words he had prepared before.

"I understand your concerns, but before that, please take a look at the achievements of the police department. Case files in various magistrates' courts in London show that in the more than two years since Scotland Yard was established, Londoners have been punished every year for theft, Property damage caused by crimes such as robbery has dropped from £760,000 in 1828 to £330,000.

In various dock areas along the Thames River, the frequency of theft has dropped particularly significantly. Several criminal gangs that used to be rampant in the London area have also been targeted and eliminated. As an Assistant Chief Constable of Scotland Yard, I can promise the public that the fight against crime will become more effective and efficient once the Police School is established.

Moreover, the original intention of Scotland Yard in establishing the Police School was to find a way to continue to improve service quality without a large-scale increase in the number of police officers. From the earliest days of Scotland Yard, we have repeatedly stated that Britain will not become a police state like France. Now, we have confirmed this factually.

The social reputation of the Greater London Police is recognized not only by the citizens of London, but also by the public in other parts of England. From the information I have received so far, what citizens should be worried about is not that Scotland Yard has more police officers, but that we may have fewer police officers.

Because since last year we have been receiving invitations from private policing associations in Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol. Because these wealthy gentlemen did not trust the local security forces and were worried that their property would be robbed and stolen by thugs, they raised funds on their own in the hope of hiring some experienced and capable police officers from Scotland Yard to serve as local security officers.

What I said is all the truth and there is no falsehood at all. For example, many of you should have read about the brutal murder and robbery that occurred in the Stowe area from the newspapers. Just yesterday we received an invitation for help from the Stowe Mountain Private Police Association.

These gentlemen are willing to spend three times the normal salary of a Scotland Yard constable to hire from us two able officers to police an area of ​​three miles around Stowe.

The main tasks include: patrolling at night, searching and supervising suspects, and inspecting pubs and rental houses where homeless people live. When a crime occurs, the two police officers are also responsible for prosecuting the suspects they arrest, and are also responsible for collecting evidence, organizing testimonies and presenting the case to the local magistrate's court.

To be honest, it was almost exactly the same job we did at Scotland Yard, but those two lucky guys only had to cover a three-mile area for three times the salary. Having said that, gentlemen, do you know how much patrol each Scotland Yard officer does per day? "

When the reporters heard Arthur's question, they looked at each other first, and then someone raised their hands and asked, "Six miles?"

Arthur joked: "Although you guessed wrong, I still want to thank you for your blessing, sir. Scotland Yard police officers patrol an average of ten miles per day. And this is after Scotland Yard has expanded." When I first joined Scotland Yard more than two years ago, my exercise regimen was fifteen miles a day, and the worst part was, frontline wages hadn't risen yet.

So, if you are worried about Britain turning into a police state, you might as well talk to the gentlemen of the Stow Mountain Private Security Association, where the progress of establishing a police state is much faster than in London. As for Scotland Yard, you have nothing to worry about.

Because as far as I know, there are more than three hundred organizations like the Stowe Mountain Private Security Association in Britain. If each association poached two people from Scotland Yard, there would soon be no police left in London. "

Arthur made a joke, which immediately made the reporters in the audience laugh.

Some reporters even joked with him: "Mr. Hastings, if I want to hire you to work as a private security guard for our newspaper, how much would you charge?"

Arthur smiled and asked: "Which newspaper are you a reporter for?"

"The Manchester Guardian."

"So to Manchester?"

"certainly."

"Then I won't go no matter how much money you give me."

"Why?" the reporter asked with a smile: "Are you going to say that you deliberately want to have trouble with the money and have to stay in Scotland Yard to dedicate yourself to the citizens?"

"No, sir, I am not that noble."

Arthur smiled and replied: "I'm just worried that I can't beat you Manchester dock gangsters, even if they are local London ones, they are already difficult for me to deal with. You see, didn't I have someone shoot me last time I went to Liverpool? ?Liverpool is like this, I'm afraid of risking my life if I go to Manchester."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, there was another burst of laughter in the lecture hall.

Principal Horner took out his pocket watch and took a look at it. He stood up with a smile and announced: "Gentlemen, it's almost time. Let's stop the interview here. Your work today has been successful enough."

"Goodbye, Mr. Horner, today was indeed a successful interview. I believe we will write a good article."

The reporters dispersed sparsely. Horner saw that people had almost left, then he turned around and smiled at Arthur and said: "Arthur, my good boy, I awarded you a degree a few years ago." When I received the bonus, I knew you would have a good future. I was still thinking that maybe one day you would give back to your alma mater, but I really didn’t expect that this day would come so soon.”

As Arthur stood up and sorted the documents, he smiled and replied: "Mr. Principal, it's not that I give back to my alma mater, but in my opinion, the University of London is the best option at the moment. You use the word "give back" too strongly. If I really have the ability to give something back to the school, then what I bring today is not an agreement from Scotland Yard, but from the East India Company."

"Hahaha! Do you still remember that?"

Horner sighed: "Back then, you, the first batch of students, envied Balliol College in Oxford the most. In other words, students all over Britain envied them. After all, Balliol is currently the only college in the UK that can pass normal admissions. The procedure is to enter the civil service system of the East India Company. If you graduate from other schools, you will have to use some means to get to the East India."

At this point, Horner suddenly changed the subject: "But during this period, Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India, seemed to be pushing for reforms within the East India Company, and even Indians were allowed to hold positions within the company. . If this trend continues, maybe one day our students will be able to enter East India openly."

"I've seen it all in the newspapers." Arthur joked: "But compared to Lord Bentinck's reforms in selecting and employing people, I am still more concerned about the ban on the burial system in India. General Charles Napier, Commander of the Army in India What he said to the Indians is really interesting.”

"What did he say?"

Arthur recalled: "General Napier said to the Indians: 'You say it is your custom to burn widows, and that is all right. But we Britons have our customs too! In England, when men burn a living woman, When the time comes, we will tie a rope around their necks and hang them alive. You can go ahead and build your pyre, but next to the pyre, my carpenters will also build a hanging for you. Fight. You follow your customs, and we will follow ours!'"

After hearing this, Horner said with emotion: "Perhaps General Napier's management style is a bit rough, but the purpose he wants to achieve is indeed noble, and we cannot blame him too much for his behavior. But... having said that, you have recently Why are you suddenly concerned about India? Is it possible that you also want to work in the East India Company?"

Arthur smiled and shook his head: "I'm past the age of looking for a job. I don't particularly care about India, I just have a little interest in General Napier. Because when I was in Liverpool a while ago, I happened to see him there. His brother, General Charles Napier of the Royal Navy. Oh... maybe I shouldn't call him that, because he hasn't actually returned to active duty."

"Charlie Napier?" Horner asked: "Why did he go to Liverpool? Cholera is so prevalent there, and it's not a good place for a holiday?"

Arthur smiled and replied: "But he can take a boat out to sea and find a sunny vacation spot."

"These retired generals are really living a comfortable life! After all, they have retirement annuities."

Horner sighed, and then said to Arthur: "Let's not talk about it anymore. Mr. Chopin is practicing in the music room. Didn't you say you have something to do with him?"

Arthur nodded and said: "Okay, I'll help you lead the way. After all, when I was studying, there was no music room in the school."

Horner smiled softly: "Perhaps you should spend more time walking around the school. Since we obtained the teaching charter, we have built many more things than before."