Metropolitan Police Met Museum. Maybe at long last.....

[Tom King]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24067335

Lets hope.....

[Mervyn Mitton]

After so many years being stored in odd places - and split up to different unit museums - it would be great for the Met. to have a proper Museum.

When I was at Hendon the classes were taken to Bow Street where the Museum was on the top floor. Unfortunately - as the current curators have

pointed out, where will the money come from ? Thankyou for posting this info.. Mervyn

[Chris Boonzaier]

as the current curators have

pointed out, where will the money come from ?

Kickbacks? :-)

[Mervyn Mitton]

Chris - with 200 years of history (in 2029) the Museum has the most incredible collection of artefacts, medals, uniforms - and just, history.

I was never very interested in the 'Black' Museum - although it gets the most attention, it is really just a collection of weaponry. The main Museum

has far greater importance and it is nothing less then tragic , that a series of incompetent decisions and a pretended lack of money has kept it

buried in warehouses. At one time it was in such a place in Brixton - where I visited it. Had the locals found out about-it, there would have been a fire.

The Met. are very secretive and have a lot of Civilians behind the scenes - and like many civil servants have an undue influence. In 1973 I staged

the First exhibion ever put on by the Met.. I had a wonderful Georgian Library - with display galleries - on my Home Beat and requested permission

to have the exhibition. The Commissioner gave the OK and with enormous TV and press coverage we were 'under siege' with members of the

public giving us antique items to display. The exhibition ran for 5 weeks and we had over 30,000 visitors.

The Met.'Black Museum' refused to support us and myself and a small team battled to set it all up - only towards the end did the Div. Commander

realise how we were being neglectd and then maintenance Branch stepped in and helped build display areas. Compare the Met's attitude with that

of the City of London Police. Their Commissioner gave permission for anything from their museum to be loaned - we even had the wonderful

wooden Court model buildings used in the inquest for the Sydney Street Siege in 1910.

Personally, I think former high ranking officers should form an action Committee and put pressure on the Govt.. Nearly every County Force has it's own

Musum and proudly displays it's history - why should the Metropolitan Police - who started modern Policing in 1829 , see it's treasures being left

in boxes to deteriorate. Mervyn

[paul wood]

Mervyn Interesting point about the City of London Police. They actively engage in purchasing items related to their history. I remember some years ago they bought an Olympic gold medal awarded to a member of the City of London Police Tug-of-War team. A Met museum would be a marvellous thing an I'm sure would be a good public relations excercise for them.

Paul

[Mervyn Mitton]

Paul - I get very annoyed over their 'snotty' inaction. I think we need to get the press involved. Throw an egg at the next senior officer you see -

and say it is for the Museum. I bet that would get attention...............

[NickLangley]

Mervyn Interesting point about the City of London Police. They actively engage in purchasing items related to their history. I remember some years ago they bought an Olympic gold medal awarded to a member of the City of London Police Tug-of-War team. A Met museum would be a marvellous thing an I'm sure would be a good public relations excercise for them.

Paul

I think it's because of its size and geographic focus. CofL Police is the only one that possibly retains the "esprit de corps" that was part and parcel of the old borough and city forces.

It's very difficult to imagine a constable getting nostalgic about Thames Valley or a senior officer, who has served for a couple of years in half a dozen different "police areas" being that bothered about his (or her) current service's history.

[Dave Wilkinson]

"Nearly every County Force has it's own Musum and proudly displays it's history - why should the Metropolitan Police - who started modern Policing in 1829 , see it's treasures being left

in boxes to deteriorate." Mervyn

Alas, this is not the case. Most of the police museums which did exist (and there were very few) have now closed due to a lack of either finance or lack of premises. Whilst I am an avid police historian I take the view that it is not part of the remit of any police force to maintain a museum. Arguably, most senior police officers of today are interested (quite properly) in what is going to happen tomorrow or next week and not what happened in the past. We have a national army museum and an imperial war museum and even a national railway museum. Why don't we have a national police museum? It is not for individual police forces to set up and maintain their own and to use police funds in the process. That cannot be justified in the current financial climate, indeed its doubtful if it could be justified at any time. Police forces exist to proving a policing service nothing else. The task is one (in my opinion) for central government.

Dave.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Dave Wilkinson

[Mervyn Mitton]

Good points Dave. A Country that takes pride in it's past history is one that will maintain it's heritage. When money is short, perhaps a point

could be made for not maintaining a museum out of limited Force budgets - then, the comment you make about central Govt. becomes crucial.

However they decide to allocate the money, the fact is that the public are being cut-off from research - how many potential books are buried in

boxes and cupboards.

Nick points out that many serving police have little interest in their history - unfortunately they just think of it as a job. I found when my book was

published in 1985 that I had far more general interest from the SC then I did from regulars. I think retirement tends to bring out their interest.

However, the history of Britain's policing is an important one - and something needs to be done in the forseeable future.

[Monty]

Hi all,

I have, until 2 years ago, been working with the CoLP museum at Wood St.

There was an issue with funding (as I'm sure you are all aware, cutbacks have hit the public sector hard, the police being no exception) and this impacted on a proposed CoLP museum re-vamp. I know they proposed to expand into the cells at Wood st, due to the fact they no longer met EU specifications however I don't know if that has gone through.

I know they sell of bits and bobs to aid funding.

The Met have opened up a Heritage centre on Lillie Road, just down from West Brompton tube. I've been a few times and reccomend it.

http://www.metpolicehistory.co.uk/met-police-heritage-centre.html

Monty

[Brett Hendey]

Modern policing owes much to London for developments in this public service, but the recording of its history is much more than just a London responsibility. This city is already home to institutions such as the National Archives, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and more besides. These are national assets supported by the national purse. No doubt, the national government has bigger fish to fry, given the UK's current economic woes, but the situation can be alleviated and some of the benefit given to cultural institutions, including the proposed police museum.

For reasons that baffle me, the present government has "ring-fenced" and actually proposed increases to its "foreign aid" budget, which has long been known to be a bottomless pit of much wasted money. "Foreign aid" may once have had a purpose, but the Empire is gone and many members of the Commonwealth are only in it for the 'hand-outs'. Now that parliament has had the courage and good sense to vote against another futile foreign military adventure, perhaps it can now apply its collective mind to another revenue-saving exercise (i.e. cutting wasteful foreign aid). By putting the UK's interests first, much that is good will follow. The good could hopefully include a 'National Police Museum'.

Brett

[coldstream]

Surrey Police have a small museum which is located at Mount Browne, Police Headquarters in Guildford, Surrey, Surely this is the obvious place for the smaller County Forces as running costs are kept to a minimum. When I joined an ex Officer also housed his collection there which was a bonus.

I was impressed when I visited Snow Hill in the City on a mutual aid attachment for the VE day celebrations, C of L tunics and helmets all over the place.

A museum for the Met in London is long overdue in my opinion.

Simon.

[Craig]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24178228

I will believe it when I see it!

[Mervyn Mitton]

Craig - interesting ! 8 cells and a corridor - they do think ambitiously big.................

[Tom King]

Mervyn I could not agree more. What a joke,not worth the effort.