NEWS LEST WE FORGET


On Remembrance Sunday, we commemorated those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for our freedom


The contributions of UK police officers during both World Wars brought about significant changes to policing operations. Officers served as an integral part of maintaining law and order across the country during turbulent times, while taking on additional duties to support the war effort.


powers as their male counterparts, women volunteered proudly to take on these roles. With significant gaps in the police force, the retirement of serving police officers had


“The police contribution in the United Kingdom during both World Wars brought about significant changes to the way policing operated”


One extraordinary transformation during the First World War was the introduction of female officers, as men went to represent their country. Opportunities for women to sign up as officers became available. Although they did not retain the same


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to be delayed, and retired officers were paid small retainers and encouraged to return. The equivalent of special constables was established; these men would not receive a salary as they were part-time volunteers who were accepted into the army. Policing became increasingly difficult


SHUTTING UP SHOP


LBC has revealed the extent of police station closures in England and Wales and the possible impact on crime rates


Police stations across the UK have been shutting their doors at a rate of more than one per week since 2010. At least 663 police stations in England,


Wales and Scotland have closed in the space of a decade. Across England and Wales, this equates to approximately four in ten stations closing over this period, according to Freedom of Information request findings unearthed by news radio station LBC.


06 | POLICE | DECEMBER 2022


West Midlands police, which covers an area with the country’s highest rate of knife crime per capita in 2020/21, has seen nearly 80% of its stations with a public counter close. The Metropolitan Police Service has seen the closure of more than 100 stations – around 75% of the total that were open in 2010. “It’s shocking to hear it is that many,” National Chair Steve Hartshorn told LBC.


“We’ve been aware that police stations have been


closing at an alarming rate for a long time. You hear stories about serious crimes that have happened outside of police stations, and it does make you think ‘could those crimes have been prevented had funding been provided by police authorities to keep them open?’”.


during times of war, especially during blackouts. With criminals seeing the harsh times as windows of opportunity, crime in the country increased with prostitution, bootlegging, selling of military uniforms, stealing, and looting of bombed properties all rose. Communication proved difficult during these times. Telephones had only taken place in 1913, and a limited number of stations had this luxury, meaning everything had to be done verbally or in writing. Generally, the best form of communication was handwritten letters being passed up and down via the ranks each day— something hard to imagine today. The police took on many additional responsibilities, supporting the fire and rescue services, rationing petrol, and issuing gas masks, while sometimes attending schools to run through drills with school children and educate them about unexploded bombs and shrapnel. Undoubtedly, the police


forces were put under immense pressure during outbreaks of war, as they did their bit to keep the country running through the most challenging of times. For our tomorrow, they gave their today.


We will remember them. Lest we forget.


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