The Shadow of Great Britain

She really couldn’t find the right adjective; after all, the Kensington System hadn’t taught her how to curse.

”Too what?” Arthur held back a laugh.

”Too, too... too unworthy!” Victoria slammed the table, causing the teaspoon to jingle: ”What an ungrateful scoundrel!”

Arthur chuckled: ”Hmm... Scoundrel, is that from ’Beowulf’ or ’King Lear’?”

”I, I...” Victoria was teased by him, which made her even more agitated: ”I just think, you work so hard, so responsibly, and you still have to be treated like this by such people. It’s too unfair!”

Arthur soothed her: ”Your Majesty, at that time, everyone thought the police were useless, so we can’t blame the shopkeeper. When Scotland Yard was first established in 1829, all of London thought we were just new-style thugs, Peel’s political tools, a bunch of blue coats out to watch them and limit their freedom. You can’t expect the public to understand your good intentions on the first day, the first month, or even the first year — it takes time.”

Victoria furrowed her brows and after holding back for a while, she finally lowered her voice to a polite level: ”Well... things are better now than back then, right?”

”Much better.” Arthur nodded: ”Nowadays, Londoners have gotten used to the days when patrolmen are on the streets, even feeling uneasy without the police presence. Especially over the past three or four years, the changes may be bigger than you imagine.”

Victoria unconsciously leaned forward slightly; she was already completely immersed in Arthur’s ”New Police Story”: ”Really? In what way?”

”First, it’s ourselves; the police have changed. In the early years, there was a shortage of staff, lack of training, and the systems were full of loopholes. Although Scotland Yard’s ’Internal Regulations’ were being improved monthly, overall there were still many gray areas. But since the amendments to the Metropolitan Police Act were passed in ’33 and ’34, many things have been officially established on a legal level. Duty regulations, detective departments, training schools have all been institutionalized at the legal level. Now, patrolmen must remember hundreds of Police Regulations before going on duty, and there are monthly assessments; patrol routes and log books all have standard procedures.”

He paused, glancing at Victoria’s expression, worried that these terms might make her drowsy, so he switched to a more story-like approach: ”Simply put, we used to be like a group of street volunteers wearing blue jackets. Nowadays, we are Britain’s first real public safety professional team.”

Victoria nodded: ”Hmm... it does seem like there has been progress.”

”Secondly, it’s the citizens.” Arthur continued: ”They used to only see someone in blue uniforms meddling in their affairs, but now they know we save lives. Fires, robberies, street fights, missing children, drunk disturbances, crime reports... memory is a strange thing, as long as patrolmen arrive at the most crucial times a few times, people will start to think of the police not as trouble, but as protection.”

At this point, Arthur changed his sitting position: ”Speaking of which, you have played a role in this.”

”Me?” Victoria asked in confusion: ”What did I do?”

Arthur bowed slightly: ”Thank you for attending Officer Robert Cali’s memorial ceremony. After the Cold Bath incident’s clarification, and the major cases Scotland Yard cracked and gangs it captured these years... Your Majesty, Londoners are not fools, citizens are not heartless. You protected them, and sooner or later, they will remember.”

Victoria’s expression softened noticeably upon hearing Robert Cali’s name: ”How are Officer Cali’s widow and his two children now?”

”Thanks to your concern, they are doing well.” Arthur said with a smile: ”When I visited them this year, Mrs. Kali asked me to send her regards to you. Cali’s eldest son David told me that when he grows up, he hopes to become a proud Scotland Yard policeman like his father.”

Victoria visibly paused upon hearing that ”David wants to be a policeman.”

If children consider being a police officer a career worth pursuing, perhaps she should also do something to ensure that their fathers, their brothers, the people they rely on can work in a better environment?

After all, she didn’t want to see such tragedies repeated, nor did she want to hear again of a patrolman being attacked on the street without receiving the protection they deserve.

With that thought, Victoria gently sighed, adjusted her skirt to calm her emotions: ”What are the differences between the latest Police Bill discussion draft you brought today and previous police reforms? I’d like to know everything, especially if these reforms can spare patrolmen some grievances.”