THE METROPOLITAN POLICE.

HC Deb 07 July 1848 vol 100 cc236-40

SIR B. HALL

rose to put the question of which he had given notice, respecting the Metropolitan Police Force, and he also wished to ask some questions relating to some letters which had passed between the Home Office and the representatives of certain parishes relating to the rates for the maintenance of the police being the same as last year, and also to any letters respecting the arrangement under the new assessment of last year. By the 9th of George IV., c. 44, and the 3rd and 4th of William IV., and 5th & 6th of Victoria, it was enacted that the police rate should not be above 8d. in the pound, and by one of these Acts it was also enacted that the Consolidated Fund should be made chargeable with not more than 2d. in the pound out of this charge. The produce of the police rate in the metropolitan district was last year 286,000l. In June, 1847, the magistrates of Middlesex undertook a new assessment of the county, and raised the amount of rateable property from 6,376,478l to 7,792,787l., being an increase of 1,400,000l. In consequence of this increase representations were made to his right hon. Friend (Sir George Grey), by some of the parishes in Middlesex, showing the effect of this new assessment in those districts, and at the same time urging that the rates should he levied in the same proportion as formerly. In answer to these representations a letter dated Whitehall, the 30th December, 1847, was directed to the vestry clerks of the parishes of Marylebone and St. James, in which the writer said— Secretary Sir G. Grey having considered the joint representations of the parishes of Marylebone and St. James, for a reduction of the police rate under the new assessment, he was desired to inform then that Sir G. Grey had ordered that stops should be taken for the reduction of the police rate in the way proposed, and Sir Grey hoped that the Bill which he should introduce into Parliament for this purpose would receive the sanction of the Legislature in the course of the present year. In corroboration of this the same parties also received a letter from the police commissioners, dated the 3rd January, in which they announced an intention to afford every aid to carry out the object asked for in various parishes in furtherance of this correspondence a Bill was brought in in May, 1848, and was read a; second time on the 1st of June and the I Committee on it was fixed for the 8th, and then for the 15th of June, but on both occasions the subject was postponed; but on the 26th of June, at a late hour of the night, without any notice having been given, the Bill was withdrawn, and on the same day that the Bill was withdrawn a letter was sent to the several parties who had been engaged in the former correspondence, in which the commissioners of police state that they had to communicate with reference to their letter of the 3rd of January, that a Bill had been brought into the House of Commons to carry out the I object alluded to in that letter; but as to did not appear expedient to reduce the police rate at present, it therefore was not intended to proceed with the Bill during the present Session. The question of which be had given notice was to ask his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department to state the reasons why the Bill for limiting the amount to be raised out of the rates for support of the metropolitan police was withdrawn; and whether it was intended to act up to the understanding conveyed by Mr. Philipps, and by the police commissioners, in letters dated December and January last, that the ratepayers shall not be called upon to pay more than they have hitherto done for the support of the police.

SIR G. GREY

said, the 10th Geo. IV., ch. 44, s. 23, enacted that a rate should he levied upon all property in the metropolitan district assessed to the county rate, for the purpose of maintaining the police of the metropolis, provided that such rate did not exceed 8d. in the pound. In the first instance the whole charge of the police was imposed on the parishes in the metropolitan districts, expect that 10,000l. a year, formerly applied to the support of the Bow-street patrol, incorporated in the metropolitan police, was devoted towards paying the cost of the police. By the 3rd and 4th of William IV., it was enacted that the parishes should be relieved from a certain portion of the charge for the police, and that on a warrant being issued by the Secretary of State the parochial rate in certain circumstances should be reduced to 6d. in the pound as a police rate, while the Treasury should pay the other 2d. in the pound. By the 6th and 7th of Victoria, the distribution was altered, and a new arrangement was made by which the Government devoted 60,000l. of the public money for this purpose. Since the time he alluded to, only 6l. in the pound had been levied in the parishes in the metropolitan district as a police rate. The aggregate amount charged for the police was 219,000l. The charge on the Consolidated Fund, under the various Acts of Parliament he had alluded to, was 76,869l., and to which must be added 20,000l. for the horse police, which was wholly charged on the public, thus making together a charge equal to 96,869l. In 1847 a new valuation of the county of Middlesex was made, and the result was, that in some parishes, not all, a change took place in consequence of property being assessed much nearer its value. Thus, in some of the rich parishes the amount of property chargeable to rates was increased, while in some of the poorer parishes, such as Bethnal-green, there was a reduction in the amount. Under these circumstances, representations were made to the commissioners of police and to himself from those parishes in which the charge had been raised, in which they complained that the charge had been increased in them by the new assessment, while in several of the parishes in Kent and Surrey, within the metropolitan district, the charges had not been raised. These circumstances had been taken into consideration by the Government, with the view of determining whether this burden should be placed on the public, by which they could reduce the increased burden on the parishes. The result was, that it was determined to allow the police rate in certain parishes to be levied at something under sixpence in the pound under the new assessment. In the letter written in December, it was distinctly stated that the Government would assent to the reduction, and they would endeavour to arrange the principle upon which the rates should be made under the new assessment. The reason why the Bill which he had introduced for that purpose had been withdrawn was, that circumstances, which were notorious, threw very considerable and unusual duties on the police. He received also from the commissioners of police a representation that there was a call for greatly increased duties in consequence of the great addition to the buildings in the metropolis. This statement was taken into consideration, but at the same time he had received suggestions from various parishes, to the effect that they were willing to afford aid to relieve the police of some of their duties. It was proposed that this additional force should be paid by a voluntary rate. He thought that it would be objectionable to have an additional paid police under such an arrangement; but that if there was to be an addition to the police force, it should be under the control of the commissioners of police, for they would not have the same control over a body which was supported by voluntary payments. Under these circumstances the Government was of opinion that it was expedient to direct that an addition should be made to the police force in consequence of the great increase which had taken place in their duties. The question then arose as to whence the funds for this purpose should come? The question was, whether the amount was to be pro- vided by an additional rate or by Parliament? The Government, considering that the public already paid upwards of 96,000l. a year towards the support of the metropolitan police, did not think that it would be right to ask Parliament to grant more for that purpose. It was no doubt desirable that the assessments should be brought down to the actual value of the property; and as this had been done in Middlesex, he trusted the example would be followed in the adjoining counties. He did not think that this would be any great ground of complaint.