OFFICERS recruited to work at Birmingham’s first police headquarters were not only expected to perform daily policing tasks 14 hours a day, they doubled up as the city’s firemen.
The first 350 boys in blue signed up to the city’s force shortly after it formed in 1839 and took home a wage of 17 shillings a week – around 85p in today’s money.
It was an all-male environment until women were allowed to joined the ranks in 1919.
Early policemen were tasked with patrolling the streets and preventing street crimes from 7am – 9pm or the night shift, from 9pm – 7am. They would also keep the streets free of street hawkers, obstructing roads with their wares sold from flat barrows. Men working on the night shift were given additional duties. They would get up around 1am and clean the police station, including the windows, prepare meals and complete paperwork.
With so many officers assigned to a small area, policemen were literally able to watch each other’s backs.
David Cross curator at West Midlands Police Museum said: “Birmingham was a small town back then, roughly the area within the number eight bus route circle.
“During the night when two-thirds of the force were on duty, they would attempt to patrol up to 400 yards behind the officer in front.”
In the 19th century, policemen would perform the duties of fireman which often proved problematic, as Mr Cross explained: “This presented a problem initially, as when there was a large fire, spectators would gather. There was no-one to keep the onlookers at bay as the police officers would be putting out the fire.
“It became quite common for men off duty to be woken up to go to the scene.”
For all their long hours worked, the early workforce had just seven days off in their first year of service. This increased to 10 days in the second year – of which they could take seven days in one go and the remaining three at anytime subject to the superintendent’s approval. All officers had to wear their uniforms at all times, even when on leave.
Mr Cross said: “The uniform consisted of a top hat, tailed uniform jacket and in the summer time they would wear white trousers – expected to be spotless every day. “They were designed not to have a militaristic look.
“The top hat represented the air of authority officers had, in those days they would only have been worn by the rich. While the tailed jacket represented servitude, as it was the uniform of servants.”
Duke Street housed all the policemen and equipment owned by the force. The then commissioner of police Francis Burgess, an ex-military man and a renowned lawyer from Leamington Spa, was based at the station in Waterloo Street.
By the end of 1842, the Birmingham Council Police Act was passed in Parliament and this allowed the councillors of Birmingham to take charge of the police. Beforehand, the Home Office was responsible for the regional forces.
A Mr R.A Stevens was appointed as the first chief constable on £200 a year salary. Mr Cross said the cash-strapped council were forced to make radical changes in order to save money. “All 350 recruits were sacked. Then 300 were recruited back at a lower rank or for a shilling a week less.
“The force also cut back on the hours mounted police officers patrolled the countryside of Sparkbrook and Summer Lane.”
The first complaint against Birmingham Police followed shortly after the cutbacks and was made by the landlord of a pub in Broad Street who bought an ex-force horse at auction. Mr Cross said the pub owner had been shocked to find the animal dead in its stable the very next day. He said: “The post mortem result showed it was ‘knackered’”.