The Shadow of Great Britain

711: Chapter 342 Hastings System_2 711: Chapter 342 Hastings System_2 However, due to the vast scale and multifunctional nature of Scotland Yard and the fact that the law and order situation in the Greater Metropolitan area of London did indeed require the management of senior officers, the Whig Party could only resort to slowly phasing in reforms at Scotland Yard.

Even during this phasing period, the number of individuals available for them to choose from was extremely limited.

First and foremost, newly promoted senior officers needed to have an impressive performance record and social reputation; only then could the reform of corruption be justified.

Secondly, the individual’s background must not be problematic, or to be more precise, the person could not have a military background, meaning he could not belong to the Duke of Wellington or any other military magnates from the Tory Party.

On this condition alone, nearly 90 percent of the senior officers at Scotland Yard were filtered out.

Lastly, it was preferable if the individual could also be considered as closely aligned with the Whig Party.

Although officers at Scotland Yard were required not to reveal their personal political orientations and to strictly maintain political neutrality, this did not preclude them from having a relatively Whig-oriented educational background.

Today, at the annual beginning-of-the-year working conference at the Greater London Police Department, where senior officers of Scotland Yard gathered, looking around this large circle, after picking and choosing, it seemed that there was only one person who met these criteria.

“Inspector Hastings.”

“Present.”

Arthur stood up and looked towards Director Rowan.

Rowan put down the three-page-thick document he was holding, rubbed his head, and exhaling, said, “Although I know the tasks you are currently shouldering are very heavy, your personal character, work capability, and scholarly knowledge all confirm you are the ideal candidate to lead the establishment of the London Police Academy.

Are you willing to take on this responsibility?”

Arthur didn’t take Director Rowan’s praise seriously.

After all, Rowan had almost completely messed up his Police Intelligence Department while he was away in Liverpool for just a few weeks.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Rowan was ultimately the highest leader at Scotland Yard, and his dignity still needed to be considered.

Arthur responded with a smile, “Although I do not seek the position, and still dedicate myself to benefiting the country, if the consensus is such that establishing a police academy would best serve the nation and the citizens of London, then I must take up the responsibility, fully set aside my personal interests, and help Scotland Yard establish a good educational system for reserve officers.”

Just as Arthur was indifferent to ceremonial talk, Rowan, too, was unimpressed by it.

But inevitably, they had to go through the motions.

He could only pinch his nose, express the dignified, upright smile typical of an officer, and encouragingly said, “I believe that all the officers here share my view; we all think you are the best choice to establish the school.

Arthur, do well; we are confident you will achieve results there.”

Arthur saluted and replied, “Yes, sir!”

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Rowan shifted his tone, saying, “However, considering the heavy burden on your shoulders, we will also appropriately lighten your load.

The Home Office has already informed us that the passage of the ‘Municipal Police Act’ is almost certain.”

Therefore, following the enactment of the law, Scotland Yard will also undergo a new round of restructuring.

From now on, your main focus should be on establishing the Police Intelligence Department and the Police Academy, while the Criminal Investigation Department will be divided into the Criminal Records Center, Criminal Arrest Division, Toxicology Research Center, and Major Case Investigation Division as separate functional departments, which will be directly overseen by Deputy Director Sir Richard Mayne.

Of course, during the power transition process, there will certainly be some inconveniences.

Hence, in the transition phase, you must still temporarily serve as a Criminal Investigation Consultant, helping the newly appointed personnel get acquainted with the related criminal investigation tasks.

There shouldn’t be any problem with that, right?”

Arthur had already made a detailed inquiry about the upcoming restructuring from Viscount Melbourne.

And actively suggesting the separation of the Criminal Investigation Department from his own hands was also Arthur’s initiative.

Of course, Arthur’s actions were not due to any great selflessness but because he felt he shouldn’t hoard all the good roles for himself.

Parliament is very sensitive to government departments holding too much power, and even more so to power concentrated in the hands of one person.

If lawmakers discovered that half of Scotland Yard’s functions were in the hands of Mr.

Hastings, that would not bode well.

Moreover, to speak frankly, the Criminal Investigation Department wasn’t entirely a pleasant assignment.

While they gained prominence in London during significant cases, the precondition was that they had to solve the cases.

If they failed to do so, they would only face criticism.

It was a place where risk and reward coexisted.

Moreover, concerning the specific details of Scotland Yard’s restructuring, there were many aspects that Rowan did not clarify during the meeting.

Just because Arthur was no longer directly in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department did not mean he no longer managed serious cases in London.

The London Police Intelligence Bureau, which he was responsible for, was also set to undergo restructuring following the release of the bill.

After this restructuring, the Intelligence Bureau would become more independent compared to Scotland Yard.

Even so, the Intelligence Bureau would also establish specialized teams like those of the separated Criminal Investigation Department, such as a capture squad, Criminal Records Center, archive management center, and of course, an illegal publications review center.

The only difference between these departments of the Intelligence Bureau and their counterparts at Scotland Yard was that they bore different names externally.

They were named the London Police Intelligence Bureau Section One, Section Two, Section Three, and so on.

As for why numerical codes were used instead of specific functional titles for the new departments,

Arthur’s official response was— “My memory is poor, numerical codes, simple, easy to remember.”

Of course, due to national security reasons, Inspector Hastings could not disclose too much detailed information.

Those who wanted to learn more could directly inquire at Section Five of the restructured Police Intelligence Bureau.

However, although the restructured Police Intelligence Department seemed impressive, compared to an overt organization like Scotland Yard, it still faced various restrictions in operation.

In most cases, except in emergencies, they could not simply request an arrest warrant and proceed directly to arrest someone like their counterpart departments could.

Moreover, Arthur felt that even if Viscount Melbourne granted them the power to directly arrest individuals, he would likely not exercise it proactively.

After all, the judiciary was too complex.

If judges later asked what exactly the Police Intelligence Bureau was, he would indeed be hard-pressed to answer.

As Rowan, the director, watched Arthur take his seat amid a round of applause from the inspectors, he could only console himself by thinking that at least the Criminal Investigation Department had finally fallen back under his control.

Facing the expectant looks of his subordinates, Rowan understood what they were thinking.

They simply wanted to add a feather to their cap by joining the Criminal Investigation Department, right?

After all, during the past year, Arthur had been extremely prominent in that position.

However, how to arrange things going forward, Rowan was still unclear.

Just as the Whig Party had meticulously selected Arthur for Scotland Yard, he too had to find a few obedient individuals to place in that department that Arthur once dominated single-handedly.

Rowan immediately threw a wet blanket on his subordinates’ expectations.

“From now on, we must understand that our main goal is crime prevention.

The police should strive towards this grand goal.

It will enable us to more effectively safeguard personal and property safety, maintain social order stability, and realize all other policing goals.

Our task is not merely to investigate and punish after a criminal has successfully committed a crime.

In fact, that would represent a failure in police work.”

The inspectors responded in unison, “Understood, Chief.”

“Good,” Rowan stood up and picked up his documents, “then today, let’s adjourn.”

He had just reached the doorway when he suddenly stopped, turned back to his subordinates, and said, “I forgot to mention, cholera prevention remains a top priority this year.

If someone can’t even manage their area properly, I think no further expectations should be placed on them.”

With that, Rowan led Deputy Director Sir Mayne out the door.

The officers looked at each other, and after a long pause, several inspectors responsible for the eastern district control suddenly snapped out of it.

They hurriedly followed, calling out as they went, “Chief, we think this is unfair.”