The Shadow of Great Britain

237: Chapter 160 Royal Prosecution Office Plan 237: Chapter 160 Royal Prosecution Office Plan Inside a private compartment on the second floor of Almack’s Club.

Brougham placed a document on the table.

Viscount Melbourne glanced at it briefly, only seeing the title boldly stating “Report on the Necessity of Establishing a Professional Prosecutor at Scotland Yard.”

Beneath the title was a line in smaller print—Draftsman: Arthur Hastings.

Viscount Melbourne, puzzled, pointed to the document and asked, “What is this?”

Brougham smiled and said, “The same document, I believe, is also archived at the Home Office.

You should see it once the Prime Minister officially announces the Cabinet appointments.

This one is material forwarded from the Home Office to the Lord Chancellor’s office.”

“May I take a look at it?”

“Of course, I came over today precisely to discuss this matter with you.”

After receiving Brougham’s permission, Viscount Melbourne picked up the document and began to flip through it.

—Since the establishment of the London Metropolitan Police in 1829, the crime problem in the London area was in a state of constant improvement, but as the efforts to combat crime intensified, the Greater London Police Department faced a shortage of sufficient prosecutors.

When incidents occurred that required legal action according to the law, such as when a party was reluctant to sue in court due to fears of retaliation or lack of time, the Home Office usually instructed the investigating police to act as the plaintiffs.

However, due to the uneven educational levels of the police force, officers were often unfamiliar with prosecution regulations and ignorant of relevant legal provisions.

Although the police could request legal expert consultation during pre-charge investigations, this approach was narrow and often less effective than desired.

In major complex cases involving murder or bodily harm with weapons, obtaining expert assistance was especially crucial, thus forcing the Greater London Police Department to repeatedly request the Home Office to appoint specialized transactional attorneys to assist.

When the Home Office was unable to dispatch transactional attorneys, the Greater London Police Department often had to spend from its budget to hire professional lawyers to prosecute, but in practice, the police responsible for prosecution sometimes entrusted mediocre lawyers with case investigations for small personal benefits, thereby delaying the progress of the cases.

Pressured by performance metrics, police officers, in their quest to ensure the success of prosecution activities, sometimes resorted to all means to find evidence against the accused, neglecting evidence that could benefit them, which resulted in unfair treatment to the defendants.

Besides, in handling cases involving the poor, budget constraints often led to incomplete investigations and evidence gathering, thus causing discrepencies between the case investigations and the actual situations, further harming public interest.

Given these shortcomings, the need to reform London’s litigation system and establish a unified public prosecution body was urgent.

Regarding this issue, combining actual police work, I hereby solemnly propose the following five suggestions…

Viscount Melbourne, holding the material, read it carefully until he reached the last period.

He then set down the document, smiled, and exhaled deeply, “Officer Arthur Hastings, is truly a young man who constantly brings surprises.”

Brougham poured himself a glass of wine and began, “He took a huge risk doing this, after all, he exposed some flaws of Scotland Yard in this report, and he did it by bypassing the direct report from the Greater London Police Department.

Honestly, when I first saw this document, I suspected whether the young man wanted to continue in his role or not?”

Melbourne set down the document, leaned back on the sofa, and pondered for a while before suddenly saying, “Perhaps the young man really thought that way?”

Brougham sipped his wine, raised his glass, and with a raised eyebrow, looked at the clear liquid and said, “Hmm?

What do you mean by that?

Actually, I have some acquaintance with this young fellow, Arthur.

You might not know, but Arthur is one of the first graduates from the University of London, and it seems, he might be the most distinguished one at the moment.

He has done exceedingly well at Scotland Yard, just as he did in school.

You might only know his achievements post-graduation, but I must tell you honestly, Arthur was a top academic award winner every year at the university.”

In saying this, Brougham was almost writing on his face how much he liked the young man, Arthur Hastings.

Viscount Melbourne certainly understood the implication of his future Cabinet colleague and couldn’t help but say with a wry smile, “Mr.

Brougham, I have never doubted Officer Hastings’s abilities, whether it’s from the deeds I’ve read about in the newspapers or this research report right here, both clearly demonstrate that he always keeps the public interest at heart.

However, you might not know that Officer Hastings was actually also at Almack’s Club just now.

I had a brief chat with the young man, and he mentioned that he’s been feeling somewhat weary from recent work, and sometimes playing the piano can be quite delightful.”

“Most importantly, I heard from my lovely sister that Officer Hastings has already accepted an invitation from the London Philharmonic Association to become the pianist and conductor of their third orchestra.”

“That…” Brougham was taken by surprise by the news; John Stuart Mill had not informed him of this.

However, quickly he connected some dots and suddenly spoke, “Young people having some novel ideas is quite normal, especially for someone as capable as Arthur.

If things are not going smoothly at work, it’s natural to consider changing his way of life.

After all, even if he quits being a police officer, he still has a variety of options.

But losing him would undoubtedly be a huge loss for the people of Britain.”

As Melbourne needed a favor, Brougham’s comment naturally wasn’t something he would refute, and he had no desire to dispute it either, especially since Arthur had just agreed to pre-order a phonograph for Lady Norton, and his initial contact with Arthur, a young man from York, also left a favorable impression on him.

Melbourne gave his advice, “Even if he’s seeking new challenges, there’s no need to leave the government.

Besides, I think that if Officer Hastings can just do his primary job well, playing the piano part-time is entirely feasible.”

Brougham, hearing Viscount Melbourne so readily agreeing to his idea, couldn’t help feeling somewhat pleased.

At that moment, Viscount Melbourne suddenly raised the stakes, pointing to the cover of the document, “I believe that Officer Hastings’s request to establish a police prosecution agency is completely reasonable and justified.

Perhaps we could set up an investigative committee in the House of Commons, and if everything checks out, then I suggest that the Home Office and the Lord Chancellor’s office jointly create a unified prosecution division.

“After all, this division involves both policing and legal work, the combined efforts of both departments will definitely greatly promote the construction of this division.

And as for the leadership roles…

I think the primary position could be held by the Attorney General or we could appoint a senior barrister from the Bar Council of Britain, while the deputy role, responsible for coordinating the prosecution division with the police department, would need a young officer who is deeply knowledgeable in police work and has a passion for work and a mind for the public interest.”

Having said as much, it was quite clear who Melbourne had in mind for the deputy position.

But Brougham did not immediately show any sign of happiness; on the contrary, he was taken aback by the other’s sudden concession.

Because with Melbourne’s words just now, he had essentially handed over the jurisdiction of the new department entirely to the Lord Chancellor’s office.

Because whether the primary role is held by the Attorney General or a senior barrister, these individuals would be appointed by the Royal High Chancellor.

If Arthur were to take the deputy role, his seemingly insignificant University of London graduate record would appear very differently in the eyes of Brougham, a founder of the University of London.

One of the first history graduates from the University of London, a gold medal scholar, consistently top of his class—this series of credentials amounted to a thoroughbred, more closely related than Brougham’s direct appointees, the Attorney General and senior barristers, practically the direct lineage, a bona fide standard-bearer of the University of London.

Although Brougham was unfamiliar with Chinese idioms, he understood the principle that unoffered favors often have ulterior motives.

He smiled as he set down his glass, not agreeing immediately but instead turning to ask, “You mentioned earlier that you wanted to discuss a matter with me as friends.

May I know which matter it is specifically you’re referring to?”

Viscount Melbourne, hearing the other party broach the subject, no longer held back.

“Do you know Mr.

George Norton from the Tory Party?

He is currently considering leaving the Tory Party to resume his career as a proper legal professional.

As his good friend, I am very pleased to see him make this change.

So, knowing your well-informed status and your role as the president of the Bar Council of Britain, I wanted to ask if you could recommend a suitable job for him?”

Brougham exhaled a long breath of relief upon hearing this, pulled out paper and pen, and leaned back on the sofa, “Does Mr.

Norton have any specific requirements?”

Melbourne smiled as he poured another glass of wine for him, “He now has a family, so it’s best if the job is not too far from London.

Plus, he has children now and everyday expenses are not small, so an annual salary of over a thousand pounds should suffice, and also…”