The Shadow of Great Britain

36: Chapter 33 Arthur Hastings Principles 36: Chapter 33 Arthur Hastings Principles In the paddock of Sir Peel’s country estate, surrounded by greenery, a figure swift as lightning could be glimpsed moving through the clusters of blooming flowers.

Sir Peel, skilled in horsemanship, deftly wielded his riding crop as he coaxed his valuable British thoroughbred over one obstacle after another, while the riding instructor who was responsible for his training stood respectfully at the finish line with a stopwatch in hand.

In just a few breaths, Sir Peel completed the final sprint; he breathed out and turned to the riding instructor to ask,

“Did I improve this time?”

The riding instructor smiled and nodded: “As a riding instructor, although I am reluctant to admit it, I must honestly say that you indeed have a talent for this.

Your time was 2 minutes and 52 seconds, which is very close to the level of an experienced rider.

If this were the Middle Ages, you would be able to ride alongside a few knights and assist our great King Henry V in battle against the French.”

Sir Peel wasn’t particularly concerned with the instructor’s praise and jested, “Rather than battle the French, right now, I would prefer to charge against the Whig Party members and the extremists in our own party.”

The riding instructor asked cautiously, “Is it because of the Catholic Emancipation Act?

I’ve heard that the former High Chancellor, Earl Eldon, has launched a fierce critique within the Tory Party against the Duke of Wellington and you for allowing the act to pass, and he’s even threatened to lead those members of Parliament who support him out of the Tory Party.”

Sir Peel dismounted from his horse, “That stubborn old man is living in the Middle Ages.

If it were up to him, not only should the Emancipation Act not pass, but also all the Irish working in London should be sent back to their homes to continue scrounging in the mud for food.

He doesn’t realize times have changed; the ‘Clare Incident’ is the perfect embodiment of this change.

If we do not extend the Catholic Emancipation Act to Ireland, then no Tory Party member would ever win an election in Southern Ireland.

The Irish would rather vote for a disqualified Catholic than accept the fifty British Pounds thank-you fee we offer per vote.”

The founding of organizations like the Catholic Association in Ireland also signifies the urgency of the emancipation issue.

If we fail to pass the vote this time around, a civil war is absolutely certain to erupt.

Great Britain once fought a fifty-year civil war over the Bill of Rights, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

No one understands the grave dangers of civil war more than we do.

Settling internal matters through negotiation is a British tradition; we must try to minimize as much as possible the use of force to resolve issues.

The Duke of Wellington and I both support this point of view.

Of course, we have to be accountable to our supporters, but before that, we need to be responsible for the future of our country.

But these extremists, they only care about holding onto what they have.

Some people worry that allowing Catholics into Parliament will threaten their positions as MPs.

The Archbishops in the House of Lords continue to cling to their old tune of ‘The Anglican Church is Britain, Britain is the Anglican Church.’

They fear that if this precedent is set, Protestant followers will be siphoned off by Catholicism, and in the near future, England’s bishops and high-ranking priests would once again be appointed by the Pope in Rome.

As for the King, that greedy, vain, and insecure man is the Supreme Head of the Anglican Church; he certainly does not want those who do not recognize him as the supreme head of faith entering Parliament.

Fortunately, Wellington withstood all the pressure in the end.

He used his glorious military record and awe-inspiring reputation to overbear the King.

Alas…

You may not know, but on the day the House of Lords voted, the Duke of Wellington sat in the voting hall with a cane in hand, scrutinizing each noble as they passed by and cast their vote in favor.

Honestly, in the past few decades in Great Britain, only two people had enough prestige and power to accomplish this task.

One is still alive, and the other is already dead.

The one still with us is the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley.

The one who passed away is the soul of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson.

What a pity, willing to sacrifice for the nation, yet some not only fail to appreciate it but even take this opportunity to plan a mass resignation from the party, intending to join the arms of the Whig Party and force Wellington to step down.

You should have seen it in the newspapers, right?

This time they even resorted to exposing issues like electoral bribery and the decay of rotten boroughs, all to topple Wellington’s Cabinet.

They accuse the Government of corruption, telling the excited Protestant public that it was because the Government took money from the Irish, it was under the control of Catholic and Roman Church powers, which is why the Emancipation Act was passed.

Oh, Lord!

I can hardly believe it!

Those bastards!

These extremists should take a good look at themselves in the mirror!

Who, within the party, was originally the one most inclined to accept bribes and do favors?

The most corrupt part of the Tory Party is exactly that which is now gone!

“Now they engage in such acts, propagate such claims, and in the end, it will only hurt themselves, these idiots!”

The usually gentle and refined Sir Robert Peel actually cursed, which left the horseman at a loss for what to do.

Just when he was feeling awkward, he suddenly saw a servant running towards the paddock with an envelope in hand.

The servant arrived in front of Sir Peel, gasping for air, and reported, “Sir, there is a letter for you from Scotland Yard.

Also, Prime Minister Wellington and the Secretary of State for Ireland, the Marquis of Anglesey, have arrived as per your invitation.

They are currently in the parlor having tea and waiting for you.”

“A letter from Scotland Yard?

What’s so thick about it?” Sir Peel took a deep breath to compose himself, then took off his gloves and said to the servant, “Tell the two of them I will be there as soon as I change my clothes.”

As he spoke, he began to open the envelope and walked towards the mansion.

As soon as he opened the envelope, Sir Peel could see what was inside.

“On Sir Peel’s Launch of the Greater London Police Department’s Internal Affairs Regulation Revision Consultation Response”

“So, it’s this.”

Just as he was about to put the documents away for later, his peripheral vision caught the signature on the letter—Arthur Hastings.

“Officer Arthur?” Sir Peel became intrigued.

He unfolded the letter and began to read.

Initially, he had only intended to give it a cursory glance, but as soon as his eyes landed on the content, they were glued to the page.

The letter detailed a meticulous description and additional revisions to the initial version of the internal affairs regulations, and for each reasonable or unreasonable regulation, it included the reasons and case analyses from the police service processes.

To prevent Sir Peel from getting reading fatigue or disliking the lengthy discussions, Arthur also considerately compiled all his suggestions into nine concise police handling principles.

(1) The basic mission of the police is to prevent crime and disorder, not to suppress crime and riots with violent means and severe legal punishments.

(2) The police’s ability to perform their duties relies on public support for their actions.

(3) If law-abiding citizens voluntarily cooperate with the police, the police must ensure and maintain the honor and dignity of the public.

(4) The extent of the public’s cooperation with the police is inversely proportional to the amount of force and compulsion needed to achieve police objectives.

(5) The police must seek and win public respect and affection, not by pandering to public opinion, but by consistently enforcing justice.

They win public favor by being willing to provide personal services and friendship to all members of society regardless of race or social status, by being polite and good-tempered, and by showing a willingness to sacrifice personal comfort to defend and protect the public’s lives.

(6) The police must use force in accordance with legal provisions and only when reminder, persuasion, warning, and other measures prove ineffective.

(7) The police should always maintain good relations with the public, respecting the historical tradition that “the police are the public, and the public are the police.” The police come from the public and go to the public; they are merely members of the public and must wholeheartedly fulfill their duty to ensure the interests of every member of society.

(8) The police should always act to fulfill their function and never seek personal or collective revenge or to usurp judicial authority by arbitrarily judging and punishing criminals.

(9) Police performance should be measured by the reduction in crime rates and the decrease in social disorder, rather than by the number of visible actions taken against crime.

Sir Peel was so engrossed in reading that he even stopped walking.

Until a commanding voice rang in his ear.

“Robert, didn’t you say you were going to change?

Why are you still here?”

Sir Peel looked up, and speaking was his old friend, the Duke of Wellington.

He had become impatient waiting and had come out to see what was happening, stumbling upon Sir Peel at the entrance.

The Duke of Wellington pointed to the letter in his hand and asked, “What’s this?”

“Are you referring to this?” Sir Peel glanced at the title of the nine principles: “The imminent release of ‘Scotland Yard’s Nine Principles of Police Handling.’ Though, this description is too official for my taste; I don’t particularly like it.”

Wellington asked, “What do you usually call it?”

“How about ‘The Arthur Hastings Principles’?” Sir Peel suggested, “It’s simple and direct and aligns closely with the original intent.”

“Arthur Hastings?” The Duke of Wellington pondered, “Are you referring to that young police officer from Scotland Yard who made the newspapers?”

Sir Peel replied with a smile, “Sir, considering the current urgency of the movement to repeal the ‘Catholic Emancipation Act,’ I think it’s necessary to establish a leader of sufficient positive public image among the non-Anglicans in society, in order to alleviate public hostility towards the Act.

In my opinion, the young and capable Police Superintendent Arthur Hastings would be an excellent choice.”