Hove in the Past: Hove Borough Police Force

Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2020)

Background

In 1829 Sir Robert Peel founded the police service, but it was not until 1856 that police forces were established throughout the country.

Early Days at Hove

However, Brunswick Town was quick off the mark, and could boast of a force consisting of five men by November 1830. The first two constables / watchmen were John King and John Collins who received pay of eighteen shillings a week. Their uniform consisted of white trousers, a black tail-coat with a red collar, and a black top hat. They were issued with a wooden truncheon – and one dating from 1858 is preserved at Hove Museum – it is adorned with a crown and the words ‘Brunswick Square Police Force’. Until 1837 these men used to call out the hours at night-time, together with comments about the weather. Probably, the genteel residents of Brunswick Square did not relish their slumbers being disturbed in this way.

In 1846 George Breach was appointed head policeman with wages of twenty-five shillings a week.

The first police station was situated in Brunswick Street West where the walls were lined with an impressive array of staves, handcuffs, and short swords – the latter for use if necessary if smugglers should be encountered.

By 1856 the new Town Hall, also in Brunswick Street West, was completed, which also provided space for a new police station, with cells for prisoners underneath.

In 1851 there were six men in the police force, which with a population of 3,250 people worked out as one officer per 540 inhabitants.

Hove Police Commissioners

In 1858 the Hove Police Commissioners took over the responsibility of policing Hove, and remained in charge until 1873. The commissioners consisted of ten men including Revd Thomas Richard Rooper, Charles Carpenter, and Cuthbert Athelston Baines. The first meeting was held on 16 December 1858 when it was decided to appoint the following men:

copyright © J.Middleton
Bow Street Runner Pub
This pub was formerly known as the Station
and legend has it that it was converted
from the old Brunswick Police Station
that also doubled as a Fire Station.

A superintendent, salary £2-10s a week

3 sergeants, salary £1-8s a week

3 1^st class constables, salary £1-4s a week

2 2^nd class constables, salary £1-2s a week

10 3^rd class constables, salary £1 a week

A watchman / keeper, salary 17s-6s a week

Those appointed were as follows:

Superintendent

George Breach

Sergeants

William Marsh

Isaac Stapley

1^st class Constables

Joseph Stapley

William Bottell

John William Cooke

2^nd class Constables

George Longley

Richard Hilton

3^rd class Constables

William Taylor

James Lee

Samuel Gladman

Watchman / keeper William Breach

In December 1858 some other constables were appointed as follows:

James Cogan

John Geer

Robert Hodgson

Henry Gladman

Allen Aldridge

James Thomas Hall

Constable Hodgson had a remarkably short career because in January 1859 he was discovered asleep when he was supposed to be on duty, and moreover he was away from his beat – he was dismissed instantly. Perhaps there was so little criminal activity that being overcome with sleep became an occupational hazard. In 1863 Constable Charles Harris was also dismissed for the same offence.

On 23 December 1858 George Benjamin Breach was appointed clerk to the superintendent at ten shillings a week, but he soon became a constable instead.

In 1859 the police started to issue licences for hackney carriages, hand-chairs, and boats. In 1863 a police fire brigade was formed.

In 1859 a book of rules and regulations for the police was published. It provides some amusing side-lights such as rule 18, which forbade a policeman from carrying an umbrella, and a delightful turn of phrase in the rule stating a policeman must ‘diligently perambulate the whole of their respective beat’. The men had to assemble fifteen minutes before going on duty so that their superiors could ‘ascertain whether they are sober, clean and correctly dressed and appointed’. Apparently, in 1839 one of their number was found to be too drunk to go on duty, and thus rule 17 stipulated any man found drunk on duty would face instant dismissal. A rattle and a lantern were provided for those on night duty, while every policeman on duty had to wear the armlet provided on his left wrist. (It is interesting to note that in 1927 Councillor Frank Lee presented a police rattle to Hove Museum).

As for the official kit – a policeman was issued with a jacket, shirt, pair of trousers, a hat and two pairs of white gloves. (It is astonishing to note that a clean pair of white gloves was still the order of the day for all policeman on duty in 1962 when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited Hove). Back in 1859 a policeman received one pair of summer trousers every second year, and a greatcoat every third year with a cape as required. Apparently, the regulation police boot was so shapeless that it could fit either foot, and indeed constables were encouraged to swap them around every day. It might amuse today, but soap and water were considered harmful for the feet of the force, and instead men were advised to rub their feet with sweet oil every evening.

Policing under the Hove Commissioners

copyright © Brighton & Hove City Libraries
Sergeant Jesse Burchell was one of the first sergeants in Hove,
and he was photographed in around 1880

In 1874 the 24 men previously employed by the Hove Police Commissioners, were re-appointed to their posts under the newly-formed Hove Commissioners. They were as follows:

Sergeants

Jesse Burchell

Isaac Stapley

William Marsh

Clerk & acting Sergeant G. B. Breach

1^st class Constables

Frederick Taylor

W. A. Page

Samuel Gladman

Levi Geall

Francis Field

William Bottell

Samuel Standing

John Capalin

Henry Standing

Henry Gladman

John Banks

John Geer

George Saunders

2^nd class Constables

Henry Perris

James Upfield

3^rd class constables

Edward James

George Wingate

Benjamin Read

Edwin Read

Watch house keeper

George Langley

Constables graded 2^nd and 3^rd class usually served for three years before promotion to the next grade.

Police Surgeon

Also in 1874 Joseph Dixon was appointed police surgeon, a post he had already held since 1859. His salary was hardly generous, being merely £10 a year. But it was boosted because he received five shillings for every examination he carried out on behalf of the police, plus 10/6d for each attendance at the police court.

The Chief Superintendent’s Accommodation

In 1876 the chief superintendent’s salary was increased to £230 a year plus an extra £40. This was done so that he could find his own place in which to live. Previously, he occupied quarters in the Brunswick Town Hall, but now the space was needed for offices.

Holiday Grievances

By 1879 Hove Police numbered 28 men and two more men had to be employed ‘owing to the rapid increase of new streets and buildings the Chief Officer finds that with the present force, he cannot watch the Town and District satisfactorily.’

There was also the thorny problem of time off. In the days when there were just 20 men in the force, they were able to have one day off in twenty-one, but now the force had increased to 28, they found they could only have one day off in twenty-eight. They were thus losing seven days holiday in a year. Therefore in April 1879 they petitioned the Hove Commissioners to be allowed to have one week’s holiday a year from April to October. The petition was granted.

Uniform Supplies

1879

28 pairs of summer trousers from Mr Cecil for £1-0-6d a pair

38 police helmets with plates for 12/6d each

12 police lanterns at around 6/- each

1880

Weston & Tugwell supplied 28 pairs of gloves

1881

Parker, Field & Co supplied 6 pairs of best handcuffs for £1-4s

Mr Carden supplied 32 summer helmets for 9/6d each

1882

Mr I. Christmas supplied 37 pairs of boots for £29-2-9d

1890

Pearson & Huggins supplied police clothing

Mr C. Churchill supplied 37 pairs of boots @ 15/6d a pair

Rowley & Brock supplied helmets @ 5/5d each

1894

Mr Tugwell supplied 46 pairs of waterproof leggings (for night duty) @ 6/3d a pair

1897

The India Rubber Stores, 11 Western Road, Hove, to supply 46 pairs of short leather leggings @ 7/3d a pair

Public Houses

In December 1880 Sergeant Geer was demoted to 1^st class constable for a month because he had reported another sergeant as having been in a public house during prohibited hours, and playing cards. However, the charge could not be substantiated.

On 2 March 1881 P. C. Upfield entered the Freemason’s Tavern while he was on duty. He was given the option of paying 10/- towards the superannuation fund, or being demoted to a 2^nd class constable for one month.

New Constables

In 1881 four new constables were taken on, and more information was noted about them:

Henry Browning, aged 28, height 5-ft 10½-in

Thomas Evans, aged 26, 5-ft 10½-in

Edwin Potter, aged 22, 5-ft 9-in

William Rogers, aged 25, 5-ft 11-in

Smallpox

In February 1882 it was decided to pay Constable Browning £4 for work and services provided outside ordinary duties during the smallpox epidemic.

The 1880s

In March 1882 William Berry was appointed as a detective inspector at a salary of £120 a year. Also in 1882 it was recorded that three men were receiving superannuation – they were George Breach, G. B. Breach and William Bottell who died on 8 July 1888.

In 1887 William Pearson from Preston was appointed as a police inspector at a salary of £130 a year. There were 35 applicants for the post, and a full meeting of the Hove Commissioners wanted to know why none of the men in Hove had been selected.

In April 1888 Sergeant Geer was promoted to merit class for zeal and long service – nearly 30 years – and as a consequence he would earn 1/2d extra a week.

In August 1888, two men were granted superannuation; they were Inspector William Marsh, aged 63, with 37 years of service, and P. C. Henry Standing, aged 52, with 29 years of service.

In September 1888 P. C. William Arthur Worlock was promoted to inspector – his uniform cost £3-7-6d, and his cap cost 12/6d.

In November 1888 police numbers made their first appearance when P. C. 33 James Putman, and P. C. 34 Ernest Hobden were promoted to 1^st class constables.

In 1889 there were two vacancies in the force, and the five men who applied followed the occupations of clerk, farm labourer, plumber, printer, and manservant. The clerk, Robert W. Farrell, and the plumber, John Maxwell, were chosen.

Major George James Teevan

Major Teevan had followed an Army career in the 94^th Regiment before becoming Chief Constable of South Shields. On 2 July 1884 at the age of 45 he was appointed Chief Constable of Hove at a salary of £200 a year, plus uniform. He lived in a house called Pembridge Villa in Connaught Road.

In 1889, after five years of service, Major Teevan requested an increase in his salary – in fact an extra £50 a year. Presumably, the General Purposes Committee thought this was a bit steep, and requested an account of his duties. ‘He (the Chief Constable) is chiefly engaged in the mornings in his office or attending Court when the Magistrates are sitting. He frequently visits the office during the day … the greater part of the remainder of his time is occupied in perambulating the Town, visiting the beats of the constables and in other ways, which he thinks conducive to the best mode of discharging his duties of his office …He always appears in uniform before the Bench and the Police Committee … He has no allowance for house rent, fuel or light, or any other emolument beyond his salary.’ His other appointments were as inspector of bathing machines. hackney carriages and boats.

In October 1904 Major Teevan decided to retire because of serious defects in his eyesight. He received a pension of £200 a year.

The 1890s

In 1890 four additional constables were required and advertisements were placed in the Sussex Daily News, West Sussex Gazette and Police Chronicle. There were no less than 73 applicants from various backgrounds; the four men chosen had formerly been a mariner, a seaman, a plumber and a printer.

In January 1890 P. C. 10 Fox was appointed a plain-clothes officer and his pay was increased to 36/6d a week because he had to provide his own clothing.

In July 1890 Sergeant Henry Gladman was superannuated ‘having served with diligence and fidelity’ since 1858. He was to receive £1-5s a week, being two-thirds of his pay.

In August 1890 the widow of P. C. 20 G. W. Burningham was granted £8-5-6d from the superannuation fund, this being the sum her late husband had paid in.

The Police Act 1890 laid down the ordinary pension scale. If a police constable had completed fifteen years (but less than 21) the annual pension was to be one-fiftieth of his annual pay for every completed year. For 21 years of service, the rate was to be twenty-fiftieths of annual pay, with the addition of two-fiftieths for every completed year above 20. For 25 years of service the rate was to be thirty-one-fiftieths of the annual pay with an additional three-fiftieths for every completed year above 25. However, no pension should exceed two-thirds of annual pay.

Although the Hove Commissioners adopted this Act, they neglected to adopt the age limit. This meant that a policeman might retire after 25 years of service – whatever his age – and receive a pension for the rest of his life. This was rectified in 1901 when it was decided that constables and sergeants would not be able to retire, except on medical grounds, before the age of 55: inspectors had to keep on working until the age of 57, and the rest must retire before they were 60.

In 1891 Hove Police numbered 42 members.

Hove Police in 1891, and their weekly pay

Chief Constable G. J. Teevan (joined 1884) £4-16-2d

Inspector William Arthur Worlock (joined 1887) £2-3s

Detective Sergeant William Fox (joined 1876) £1-17-1d

Sergeant George Wingate (joined 1872) £1-15s

Sergeant William Arthur Page (joined 1867) £1-15s

Sergeant John Capelin (joined 1868) £1-15s

Sergeant John Harry Cooke (joined 1882) £1-15s

Sergeant William Randall (joined 1883) £1-15s

Constable Thomas Worsfold (joined 1874) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Henry Rapley (joined 1875) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable George Brooker (joined 1876) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Frank Baker (joined 1876) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Edward Grover (joined 1877) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable William Arthur Brown (joined 1877) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable George Dean (joined 1880) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Thomas Ewens (joined 1881)1st class £1-9s

Constable Alban Cheesman (joined 1881) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Alfred Brackpool (joined 1883) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable James Putman (joined 1883) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Ernest Hobden (joined 1883) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Walter Parsons (joined 1884) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Frank A. J. Reed (joined 1885) £1-9s

Constable William Winton (joined 1877) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Edward Charles Corps (joined 1879) 1^st class £1-9s

Constable Frank Lee, clerk (joined 1887) 2^nd class £1-10s

Constable Henry William Jefford (joined 1887) 2^nd class £1-6-6d

Constable Harry George Markwick (joined 1887) 2^nd class £1-6-6d

Constable Henry Brown (joined 1888) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable John Maxwell (joined 1889) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable John Herriott (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable John H. Saunders (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable George Sowter (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable John Turner (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Piercy Wood (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Arthur Holt (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Alfred Andrews (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Henry Griffin (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Edward Foard (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Bruce Gander (joined 1890) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Ambrose Mullion (joined 1891) 3^rd class £1-4s

Constable Isaac Ernest Hill (joined 1891) 3rd class £1-4s

George Augustus Sala's interesting slant on illegal begging on the streets of Hove in his 'Sala's Journal - A Weekly Magazine for All' on the 21 May 1892

A Long-awaited Pay Rise

No wonder Hove Police felt disgruntled because there had been no pay rise for an astonishing nineteen years. Meanwhile, they were aware police in other areas were earning more money than they were, and in addition rents had become ‘unusually high’. In September 1891 three sergeants and five constables applied for an increase in wages, and this is the reason why the above list was compiled. The authorities could see the point, and thus pay rises were awarded as follows:

Chief Constable would receive £5 a week

Inspector would receive £2-5s

Sergeants would receive £1-18s a week (but only after 3 years in the post)

1^st class constables would receive £1-10s a week

2^nd class constables would receive £1-7-6d

3^rd class constables would receive £1-5s

Boots

In November 1891 one pair of Scafe’s Patent Boots costing £15/6d was ordered so that they could be thoroughly tried out and examined.

In August 1892 there is a fascinating mention of ‘silent soles’. There must have been several complaints about the heavy footsteps of the constabulary on their night patrols, although no doubt some residents would have found it a reassuring sound. All the same, it was decided that police on night duty should have the benefit of ‘silent soles’. Pairs of boots fitted with the same would be purchased from Mr Randall for 18/6d a pair.

copyright © J.Middleton
This marvellous old postcard gives you some idea of the appearance of Waterhouse’s Hove Town Hall
although in reality the bricks were a deeper shade of red.

Perhaps this was a sign of things to come. In August 1895 Hove Police were given permission to drill in the Great Hall of Hove Town Hall. But this was on condition that they wore ‘rubber boots’. Obviously, the town fathers were not going to allow their precious wooden floor to be ruined by many pairs of hob-nailed boots or similar.

In November 1905 it was decided that a boot allowance would be made instead of the old custom of providing the force with boots. A policeman was obliged to have two good pairs of boots – one for daytime wear and the other for night duty fitted with rubber soles and heals. Boots had to look smart and no patches were allowed. The boot allowance was set at nine pence a week for inspectors and eight pence for other ranks. This measure came into force on 1 April 1906.

First Aid

In November 1891 Hove’s Medical Officer of Health, Mr Medcalf, began giving a series of lectures on First Aid. By August 1892 several officers were proficient enough to be awarded First Aid Certificates under the auspices of the St John’s Ambulance Brgade.

Off to the Races

In July 1893 the Chief Constable was authorised to send a detachment of police, not exceeding seventeen, across the border to assist at Brighton Races.

Manpower Fluctuations

In 1892 Inspector Worlock resigned from the force to become Chief Constable of Guildford.

Also in 1892 it was decided that there would be two inspectors, while the number of sergeants ought to be reduced to five at the earliest opportunity.

The two new inspectors were Sergeant William Cocks from Hull (later to become Chief Constable of Hove) and William Fox, promoted from detective sergeant).

In 1893 four extra constables were employed because Aldrington had been amalgamated with Hove.

In November 1893 there was a request from the management from what later became Hove Hospital that a constable might stay at the hospital during the night should any patient who had attempted suicide been received there through the actions of the police. The request was granted.

Sergeant George Wingate joined Hove Police on 22 April 1872, retired on 30 November 1892 and died on 20 July 1893, leaving a widow and three boys, the youngest being aged ten. The Police Committee granted her a gratuity not exceeding £73-16-10d.

Bicycles

In 1896 it was decided to buy a bicycle not exceeding £15 ‘for the use of the Police in the execution of their duty’. Presumably, it was a success because in 1901 a Humber bicycle was to be purchased from Mr Christmas at a cost not exceeding £12-14-9d. It is interesting to note how the cost of a bicycle fell over the years, and when the Humber needed to be replaced in 1908, the new one was only expected to cost £8-10s.

Pay Rises

In 1898 Hove Police consisted of the following personnel:

Chief Constable

2 inspectors

8 sergeants

46 constables

In 1899 the pay of inspectors was increased by £20 a year. The news soon got around, and the detective sergeants asked for a pay increase too, especially since over the border in Brighton men occupying the same rank received £2 a week as well as being provided with plain clothes. The reply was to allow Hove detective sergeants an allowance of £10 a year for plain clothes.

In 1901 there was a one shilling pay rise all round.

In 1901 a Hove police constable was re-called to the colours to serve in the Boer War. Hove Council resolved to allow his wife twelve shillings and his child two shillings all the time he was away on active service.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Hove Police & Fire Brigade sports day at Wish Park (Marine Park) 9 September 1908

Police Act 1910

In May 1912 Hove Council adopted the Police (Weekly Rest-Day) Act 1910. This meant that one day in seven became a rest day. But the new measure was not without cost because at the same time the amount of annual leave was reduced. Whereas previously inspectors had enjoyed 35 days of annual leave, now they would have to make do with fourteen. Sergeants had ten days of annual leave, instead of 32, while constables had eight days of annual leave instead of 29.

copyright © R. Jeeves
This photograph shows Hove Police smartly turned out, and wearing white gloves, to celebrate Empire Day at Hove Recreation Ground in 1910. The view also includes the magnificent gates and railings.

Town Hall Expansion

By 1912 the police station at Hove Town Hall was said to be inadequate. When the police first occupied the premises, the force consisted of 34 men, whereas in 1912 there were 71 men. In May 1913 approval was given for a new floor to be built above police offices at a cost of £940.

First World War

copyright © J.Middleton
Members of Hove Police are happy to pose with a Naval visitor ( 1^st Battle Squadron's visit to Hove) on the 30 June 1914 outside the entrance to Hove Town Hall.

In August 1914 it was decided that should a policeman be called up for active service, Hove Council would pay twelve shillings a week to the wife plus two shillings for each child.

In February 1916 the Chief Constable informed the Watch Committee that Corporal C. Webb of 2^nd Battalion Coldstream Guards was Mentioned in Dispatches for an act of gallantry on 27 September 1915 at Loos. The gallant corporal had assisted in bringing in wounded men of the 21^st and 24^th Division, although exposed to sniper fire. He was also awarded the Military Medal.

P. C. Henry James Baker, who joined the 11^th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, in 1915 was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry during the battle of 25/28 September 1917. Out of four Lewis gun-teams, three were lost, and Baker was NCO of the remaining team. During the night of 26/27 September, there was a heavy barrage and the gun was buried three times. Baker, with the help of one other man, got the Lewis gun back into action, and continued firing until relieved of his post. (A Lewis gun-team consisted of six men and a non-commissioned officer).

Two other former policemen were awarded the Military Medal:

Sergeant Thomas Bates R. G. A.

Sergeant William Edgar Brunwin, Royal Engineers

By 1916 there were 23 policemen serving in the forces, and eventually there were 30. Nine of them were wounded and three were killed:

copyright © Royal Pavilion
& Museums, Brighton & Hove
Former P.C. - A.J. Laker
(killed in action 28 Nov. 1916)
Brighton Herald
12 September 1915

Sergeant William Charles Corps, R. G. A.

Company Sergeant-Major Albert John Laker, Royal Sussex Regiment

Private John Ernest White, Grenadier Guards

These three men have their names inscribed on the brass war memorial tablets in the vestibule of Hove Library.

The Special Constabulary

The work of policing in Hove had to continue, war or no war, and so volunteers were needed. The first batch of 20 were sworn in during August 1914; by 1916 there were thirteen officers and 123 men, and astonishingly there were eventually 374 men.

At first the Specials wore their own civilian clothes with a badge in their buttonhole, an official brassard around the left arm plus a police whistle and truncheon. But in September 1916 a petition signed by 78 Specials requested that they should be supplied with caps and overcoats.

Duncan Furner was superintendent of the Specials.

E. J. R. Sopp

Amongst the original 20 Specials was a talented man – E. J. R. Sopp. His legacy for future generations was a unique record in three volumes detailing his experiences as a Special, embellished with lovely water-colour illustrations. He provides us with amusing anecdotes as well as details that it would be impossible to source elsewhere.

For example, when the Specials were issued with a cap, Sopp thought it ‘transformed the wearer into a sort of gas and water inspector’. The overcoat reached to the knee ‘below which everyday trousers were prone to asset themselves with potent obtrusiveness’. Uniform trousers were eventually issued, and these brought additional problems because they were made of ‘triple-mill cloth, and were exceedingly hot and uncomfortable to wear’. Sopp was meticulous in his observations, and carefully weighed each item of clothing, thus:

copyright ©
Old Police Cells Museum Brighton

Tunic weighed over 3lbs

Overcoat weighed nearly 10lbs

Boots weighed 5lbs

Gaiters (worn in wet weather) weighed just under 2lbs

It was a wonder they could walk their beat carrying all that weight, and of course in drenching rain everything would weigh even more. Sopp must have been aware of the extra weight on 9 July 1917 when the circus came to Hove and rain poured down in torrents. He wrote that ‘those of us who were on duty in the open were soon wet through; the chosen of the gods were on duty in the tent.’ But the public sympathised with their plight and kept presenting them with biscuits, sweets and nuts.

At first the Specials were usually employed for night duty or during air-raids. Indeed, when they worked during day-light hours, members of the public would often stop to enquire if an air-raid was imminent. The Specials began regular day-time duties from 3 October 1917.

It is pleasant to record that the relationship between the Specials and the regular police was cordial. As Sopp described it ‘we were on excellent terms, we often met them on our beats and fine manly fellows they were. They took a sort of paternal interest in us, patiently listened to our troubles and experiences and gave us professional advice.’

During the winter of 1917-1918 the Specials were often required to keep an eye on the long queues in George Street, caused by a shortage of butter, margarine, sugar and jam. One shopkeeper told Sopp that ‘queues were a damn nuisance’. Not that there was any trouble with British-born people who were used to forming an orderly queue, but according to Sopp foreigners had no sense of fair play. However, Sopp did conclude that the system created a cycle of evil because some people adopted queueing as a profession, and consequently received more than their fair share. The problem was solved when ration books were issued on 15 July 1918, which superseded food cards.

In addition to policing, many Hove Specials also undertook wartime work on allotments. During the autumn of 1917, and after much back-breaking work, Sopp managed to convert two rods of rough, uneven ground into a useful vegetable garden. Sopp never realised he could have saved himself a great deal of work until he saw that a colleague had applied to have the services of a German prisoner of war to break up his stretch of waste ground. Sopp then concluded that he himself was ‘an Ass with a large illuminated capital A’.

Meanwhile, no regular policeman was allowed to retire while the war lasted unless he could produce a medical certificate stating he was unfit for work. It also seems that leave was curtailed.

Sopp continued to serve with the Specials after the war was over, and thus he was on duty in 1919 for the first peace-time holidays, when crowds of people poured down to the coast.

On 30 April 1920 there was a parade of Specials outside Hove Town Hall when the Mayor of Hove presented the Special Constabulary Long Service Medal riband. To qualify for this award the Specials needed to have worked without pay for no less than three years during the war.

In 1927 Superintendent Campbell Furner MBE retired. He joined the Specials in 1914, and in 1916 he was unanimously chosen to be superintendent. He rendered valuable service during the First World War and during the General Strike. Hove Council presented him with the Chief Constable’s words of praise inscribed on vellum.

Runaway Horses

On 4 April 1904 P. C. 56 Joshua Oliver Ockenden stopped a runaway horse at some personal risk. The horse was drawing a laundry van in Western Road. Ockenden received a gratuity of £1. Perhaps it had really been a dangerous manoeuvre and so he deserved the money, but on other occasions recorded below the policeman involved would usually be awarded 10/-.

In 1914 P. C. Percy Pronger received a gratuity of ten shillings after stopping a runaway horse who had been startled by a motor car. The horse galloped away pulling a four-wheeled van belonging to George Coe of 40 / 41 George Street. He received a 10/- gratuity.

In 1917 P. C. William Ockenden also received a gratuity of ten shillings by stopping a runaway horse pulling a butcher’s cart in Western Road. P. C. Frank Johnson stopped a bolting horse attached to a four-wheeled van in Blatchington Road – this time it was the grateful owner who sent the ten shillings.

On 20 August 1920 a runaway horse drawing a railway delivery van bolted in Grand Avenue. Mounted policeman Alfred Kent was in hot pursuit and managed to stop the frightened horse before it encountered the traffic in Church Road.

On 13 February 1921 P. C. Ward stopped a runaway horse drawing a timber lorry; the horse bolted along Kingsway from Third Avenue to Prince’s Crescent. By this time such heroics earned an officer one guinea.

On 14 February 1922 P. C. Lovell stopped a runaway horse in Hova Villas. The horse was drawing a laundry van belonging to the Rutland Sanitary Laundry of 106 Coleridge Street; the policeman was awarded one guinea.

Mounted Police

Hove Police did not have horses of their own, and from 1887 onwards they were hired for special occasions from Mr R. Hunt. When Edward VII was crowned on 9 August 1902, six horses were hired at Hove in order to assist in crowd control.

On 30 March 1904 it was decided that the provision of a mounted constable should be made permanent. The Chief Constable was authorised to accept Messrs Dupont’s offer to supply a charger with saddlery included for £90 a year.

In June 1911 Captain H. D. Terry, H. M. Inspector of Constabulary for the Southern Division, inspected Hove’s mounted police, consisting of one sergeant and four constables. Among these men was P. C. Henry Charles Stevens mounted on his favourite grey hunter Champion, who had won prizes for jumping. (In 1959 Mr Stevens was aged 84).

Captain Terry made certain suggestions, which were taken up by Chief Constable, William Cocks. It was decided that in order to keep mounted police used to saddles and horses, a mounted patrol, similar to those in use during 1904 and 1905 should be established. But there was one difference – the new mounted patrol would take place in the day rather than as a night patrol. The arrangement would enable each constable to be mounted for thirteen weeks during a year. This patrol would be used occasionally on the Kingsway to ‘prevent excessive driving of motor cars and omnibuses’.

In 1912 Nye & Son agreed to supply the police with one horse for a year starting on 1 January 1913 at a cost of £65 a year. If required, other horses could be hired for 10/6d a day.

In 1925 the Chief Constable decided to re-instate the mounted patrol along the Kingsway in the summer months because there was so much traffic.

Horses and the General Strike

The General Strike took place from 3-12 May 1926. It was a testing time for police to try and maintain law with the general unrest, demonstrations and tempers rising. But there were some Hove residents who were willing to help. Mr Bovey of 16 Eaton Grove lent two horses to the police free of charge, while Mr Baxter of Seaside Villas lent three horses. Thus during the emergency, as well as the usual Specials, there was a contingent of sixteen mounted special officers with Major Willett in command. Indeed, the prospect of joining such a group proved so attractive that the Chief Constable insisted any new volunteers would need to provide their own horses.

Horses in Recent Times

In 2001 Chief Inspector Stuart Harrison of Hove Police, led the revival of police horses in Sussex. Sussex Police once had a unit of six mounted officers until 1984 when they were axed to release funds to help pay for a helicopter. In 2001 it was hoped the force could emulate Bristol where it was claimed mounted patrols had cut violent crime by 37%.

On 11 June 2001 three geldings started to patrol for a two-week experimental period. Officers from the Avon & Somerset Mounted Police, where there were ten horses on duty, rode the horses. Mounted officers were said to be a highly visible and popular form of policing. Chief Inspector Harrison stated they would like to obtain approval to keep three horses at Hove. However, the start-up costs would be £50,000 and some £20,000 a year would be needed to run the unit. There had been 41 requests from within Sussex Police to become mounted officers. The three horses were called Taunton Dean, Somerset and Imperial. The general public could view them at the Open Day held at Holland Road Police Station in June 2001.

Helmets

In the East Sussex Police Force as a whole, the wearing of a top hat was discontinued in 1864 and replaced by a bowler hat-type helmet. In 1858 a more narrow type of helmet was introduced, and it was on this model that the more familiar helmet shape was based.

The old-style helmet plate worn by Hove Police had a simple design depicting St Andrew’s cross and the Sussex martlets. In November 1901 a new helmet plate and new buttons were selected from the design submitted by Firmin & Sons Ltd. This was to reflect Hove’s dignity as a newly-created borough with a new coat-of-arms.

A comment by George Augustus Sala in his 'Sala's Journal - A Weekly Magazine for All' on the 27 August 1892

Hove Police used to wear a white summer helmet from around 1880 to around 1902. Brighton Police continued to wear a white summer helmet for many more years.

Women Police Officers

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Photograph of the the Women Police Volunteer Corps (unofficial) - Brighton Graphic 3 April 1915
There was a confusing situation in regard to female police forces in Hove and Brighton early 1915. The Women Police Patrols (official) and the Women Police Volunteer Corps (unofficial) both wore similar uniforms to patrol the streets of Hove and Brighton. The Chief Constables of both towns were highly critical of the unofficial Women Police Volunteers Corps whom they believe put themselves at great risk in wearing a police uniform.

In July 1919 the first two official policewomen at Hove embarked on their duties. They were Miss Mabel Read of Amherst Crescent, and Mrs Dorothy Kirk of Chichester. Mabel Read already had some police experience because she had joined the Women’s Police Service in London in 1916.

In March 1920 it was decided that that a boot allowance should be paid to the women constables because the boots cost four guineas and they could not afford such a cost on their low salaries.

The duties of women constables were confined to dealing with females. But there was some doubt as to their value since the female population appeared to be quite law-abiding. Indeed, in 1921 the Chief Inspector smugly observed that there was ‘a most remarkable absence of the usual open or other prostitution in this borough’. In December 1927 the Watch Committee decided it was not necessary to re-appoint a second policewoman. Both the Watch Committee and the Chief Constable thought the work could be managed perfectly well with one policewoman and a police matron, while a woman probation officer could be called upon in an emergency. There was of course the question of cost; whereas two policewoman’s wages, allowances plus pension liability came to £376 a year, the cost of one policewoman and one police matron only came to £208 a year.

Meanwhile, the gallant Mabel Reed was plodding on with her duties at Hove. By the 1940s she was still the only regular policewoman at Hove, and in 1942 she had the satisfaction of being promoted to sergeant.

Traffic Patrols

Hove was one of the first authorities to introduce traffic patrols. At first, mounted officers undertook these patrols along the sea-front during the summer months.

In March 1926 the Watch Committee sanctioned the purchase of a 9.86 h. p. BSA model G26 De Luxe motor-cycle and side-car for £96-10s, as recommended by the Chief Constable. This vehicle came into use in May 1926, and proved very useful in patrolling Kingsway.

In 1928 an additional motor-cycle combination was purchased.

Police Pay Act 1919

This Act landed Hove Council with a ‘considerable increase of Police emoluments’. It laid down what salary should be paid to policemen as follows:

On joining the Force, a constable would receive 70/- a week; after 22 years the pay increased to 95/-

On appointment a sergeant would receive £5 a week; after 5 years the pay increased to £5-12-6d

An inspector earned £310 a year; after 4 years the pay increased to £350 a year

The Chief Constable earned £500, rising to a maximum of £700 a year

In addition the boot allowance was to be 1/6d a week, and all police members were to be supplied with free housing, or a rent allowance in lieu.

The ‘Geddes Axe’

One aftermath of the First World War was that there was an urgent need to reduce public expenditure, as recommended by the Geddes Committee in 1922. With regard to the police, there was a choice in reducing either pay or rent allowance. Therefore, although the authorised strength of the Hove Force was 71, the working strength was reduced to 68.

Of course, the police were not the only ones to suffer from post-war austerity – the Geddes axe was particularly savage to the Royal Navy.

Police Boxes

In February 1928 the Chief Constable recommended the abolition of police telephone telephone call posts at the following locations:

Cambridge Road

Hove Park Villas

Montefiore Road

Sackville Gardens

Palmeira Enclosure

Tamworth Road

The one at St Leonard’s Road had already been removed. Instead, he planned to install five police boxes at the following locations:

Hove Lagoon

Nizell’s Avenue

Palmeira Enclosure, east end

Sackville Gardens

Shirley Drive, at junction with Hove Park Road

The estimated cost of the five police boxes, plus lighting and telephones, was put at £175. Policemen would be able to make telephone calls, eat their meals, and book on and off duty from these boxes, saving a considerable amount of time. Until the boxes were installed, the old procedure was still followed, which meant the men had to parade at the police station before starting on their duties.

In March 1928 it was decided to install two more police boxes – one at the north-east corner of Hove Recreation Ground, and the other on the north side of St Ann’s Well Gardens.

Hove Police in 1938

Hove Police Force consisted of the following in 1938:

Chief Constable

Chief Inspector

2 inspectors

1 detective inspector

1 clerk (sergeant)

8 patrol sergeants

2 acting sergeants

72 constables

2 policewomen

Hove Police No More

Although nobody realised it at the time, the Second World War saw the end of Hove Police as an independent unit. On 1 April 1943 under the Defence Regulation Act, Hove Police became part of the Sussex wartime police force with Major J. F. Ferguson being in command.

In September 1946 there was some unease in Hove about what was to happen regarding the policing of Hove. There was disgruntlement that both Eastbourne and Hastings were to be handed back control of their own police forces, but the Home Office had not come to a decision regarding Hove, although the borough of Hove was of a comparative size to Eastbourne or Hastings.

In 1947 Hove became part of East Sussex Police; in 1968 this became the Sussex Constabulary, and in 1974 the Sussex Police.

On 31 March 2002 a new combined police force for Brighton and Hove came into being with Chief Superintendent Doug Rattray being in charge of some 600 staff.

Chief Constables of Hove

It is a remarkable fact that in a period of nearly 60 years, there were only four chief constables.

1884-1904 – Major G. J. Teevan

1905-1907 – Thomas Davies

1907-1919 – William Cocks

1919-1942 – Charles William Hillier

Personnel

Superintendent Bob Allen – He was born in India, but served as a British policeman for 31 years culminating in becoming Superintendent of the Hove sub-division. On 13 September 1976 he was involved in a freak accident in Sackville Road when a transporter knocked a tree over on top of him, smashing his face. His injuries were so severe that doctors gave him 48 hours to live. But he managed to pull through – skilled surgeons re-built his face but he lost the sight of one eye. He retired in September 1979, and he was elected to Hove Council in 1981. In 1985 he became Mayor of Hove.

Chief Inspector L. S. Bowden – From 1922 he had been second in command at Hove to Chief Constable C. W. Hillier; Bowden retired in 1934. But in 1938 he was called back into action, so to speak, when he was appointed Hove’s Chief Billeting Officer, and the following year had to deal with some 8,000 evacuees.

Chief Constable William Cocks – He came from the City of Hull Police Force to join Hove Police in 1892, becoming chief constable in 1907. He was landed with the unexpected and delicate task of ensuring Edward VII’s visits to Hove passed off smoothly. In 1908 Mrs Flora Sassoon was so delighted with his ‘exceptional services’ during the King’s visit that she presented him with an inscribed silver cup. After another royal visit in February 1910 the King sent him a pair of gold cuff-links with the royal monogram in jewels as a token of appreciation. Cocks retired in 1919.

Chief Constable Thomas Davies – He served for several years with distinction in the Carmarthenshire Constabulary before joining Hove Police in 1901. In 1905 he was appointed Chief Constable with a salary of £220 a year and a uniform allowance of £12-12s. He was by then a married man aged 32. He left Hove in 1907 to become Chief Constable of Portsmouth.

Inspector W. L. Davies – He served for sixteen years as a constable, and then within the next four years he rose to the rank of inspector. He retired in 1934 and was presented with a mahogany clock.

Chief Inspector Percy Earl – During the First World War he was severely gassed. He joined Hove Police in 1919 and served for 30 years. In 1937 he was seconded to Civil Defence, and when the Second World War broke out, he was appointed Chief Warden for Hove. In 1950 he was elected to Hove Council and served for 24 years. He died at the age of 93 in 1986.

Chief Constable Charles William Hillier – He spent sixteen years serving in the Burnley Borough Police, becoming a superintendent before the age of 30. He was chosen to become Chief Constable of Hove in 1919 out of 280 other candidates. It was largely due to his tact that there was no violence at Hove during the General Strike in 1926. People were grateful to him and presented him with gifts. Hillier had brought a deadlock between Tilling’s employers and employees to a happy conclusion, and after delicate negotiations 100 conductors and 62 drivers returned to work on the buses. The employees presented Hillier with a silver salver bearing the following inscription ‘The employees of Messrs Thomas Tilling who have subscribed towards this testimonial, desire you to accept the same as a token of great respect. They also tender their hearty thanks to you for the considerate and impartial manner in which you carried out your duties during the recent general strike and for so kindly acting as mediator between Thomas Tilling and their employees with the result they reinstated at the same rate of payment. They earnestly wish you long life, health and happiness, 3 June 1926.’ Mrs Hillier was presented with a gold watch. The Specials gave Hillier ‘a purse of gold’ together with an album listing all the subscribers.

Hillier retired in 1942 owing to ill-health, and was given a rousing send-off. The Sussex Daily News (1 September 1942) had this to say: ‘For the past three years his attendance at the Court (Hove Magistrate’s Court) had been less regular than formerly owing to other important work on behalf of the town but for at least 20 years previously it was his duty regularly to present the police case before the Justices and he could say that no prosecution had ever been taken by him with malice. He had tried to be fair to all concerned and furthermore, he had endeavoured to inculcate in the minds of all members of the Police Force the principle that fairness cost nothing, but was a priceless virtue.’ During his time, Hillier had been associated with two magistrate’s first with Mr Gates and then with Mr Ridge, and all the time with Mr Herriott, the assistant clerk.

In 1942 Hillier had two sons serving with the RAF; there is a W. C. Hillier whose name is inscribed in the Second World War Memorial to members of of the Shiverers Club inside the lych-gate at St Andrew’s Old Church.

Superintendent George Hoxey – As a young man he enjoyed swimming and life saving; he was also known as something of a snappy dresser – his favourite attire being a blue suit and brown trilby hat. In 1939 he was briefly in Hove Police before being called up and joining the Royal Artillery, Eventually, he became a captain in the Army’s Special Investigation Branch. Upon being de-mobbed, he re-joined Hove Police in 1948, and six years later was promoted to sergeant. During his 32 years of policing, he received two commendations, and he also served at East Grinstead and Seaford. By 1968 he was back in Hove where he became superintendent. He retired in 1971, and died at the age of 80 in May 1999, leaving a widow, Elsie, and son Robert.

Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Edward Lovell – He joined Hove Police in 1921. He was promoted to chief inspector and later became acting chief constable. In 1943 when the Sussex police forces were amalgamated, he was appointed superintendent of the Hove Division. In 1944 he was released from the police in order to serve with AMGOT (Allied Military Government of Occupied Territory). By 1947 Lieutenant Colonel Lovell was a judge in one of the criminal courts in Hamburg.

Police Sergeant Joshua Ockenden – On 4 April 1904, when he was still a constable, he stopped a runaway horse in Western Road, at some personal danger. On 1 November 1923 he attempted to rescue a woman from drowning opposite Hove Baths when there was a high tide and a very rough sea. The waves threw him back and he was almost unconscious when he was dragged from the sea. He was assisted by Coastguard Quigley, wearing his cork jacket, and Baths Superintendent L. Kemp. Despite their efforts, the woman died – she was Agnes Turner of 13 Victoria Terrace.

Inspector Stanley Albert Payne – He was always known as Sammy, and served in Hove Police for 33 years. He joined in 1911, became a sergeant in 1918, and eleven years later he was promoted to inspector. He was keenly interested in sport, and won every sporting trophy in the Hove Force, including swimming, bowling, batting, billiards, snooker, shooting and darts. He retired in 1944 and died at his home in Cowper Street in October 1954.

Detective Inspector Joe Standen – He was head of Hove CID, and he retired in January 1994 after 30 years of service, He gained the unenviable reputation of being followed by murders wherever he went – on changing police stations, there was usually a murder enquiry within days.

Inspector Angela Turner

Angela Turner joined the Sussex Special Constabulary in April 1961 at a time when there were few other women members. Initially, she patrolled Hove Park opposite Goldstone Football Ground until she was allowed to direct traffic. Within four years she was promoted to sergeant, and in 1972 she was appointed inspector ‘responsible for the women of Brighton, Hove and Shoreham’.

In 1978 she became Chief Divisional Officer, and in 1985 she was promoted to Commandant – the first woman to hold the post in England and Wales. She headed one of the largest teams of Specials, there being 662 members.

She found one of the most satisfying aspects of her job was to provide extensive training to new Specials before they were allowed to go on duty. She remarked that she had no doubt that ‘being a Special makes a very interesting life’. Amazingly, she managed to combine her police role with her day-time post as a teacher at Blatchington Mills School, and by 1994 she was assistant head.

She retired in January 2001 after 39 years as a Special because, as she explained, ‘one always hopes to go before they say she should have gone.’

Police Constable H40 John Turner

John Turner joined Hove Police in 1890 and by 1907 he had become a local celebrity to the extent that a souvenir postcard portrait of him was issued for purchase by admiring fans. He is shown wearing the regulation uniform (buttoned up to the chin) but not every policeman could sport two medals on the chest. Turner’s medals were the Egypt Medal and Khedive’s Star commemorating his military service in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882. An interesting detail is the Prussian knot clearly visible on the right sleeve; the three bands on his left sleeve denote the official duty band that Hove Police wore when on duty.

PC Turner must have had a regular beat along Hove seafront because his fame rests on his extraordinary ability to be present at the scene when some unfortunate soul needed to be rescued from drowning in the sea.

On 25 May 1905 he rescued two men from drowning.

On 18 September 1905 two ladies were bathing off Medina Lawn when they found themselves in difficulties and our gallant policeman raced to the rescue.

Hove Council was duly impressed with Turner’s bravery and for each of these occasions he was awarded a guinea (21/-) for ‘meritorious conduct’.

On 16 August 1906 a soldier was bathing his horse when a sudden wave washed him out to sea. Fortunately, Turner was on hand to come to his rescue. It was quite a common sight to see horses being treated to some sea-water therapy.

On 25 September 1907 PC Turner rescued another three people from the sea. He was still awarded a guinea but this time he was also promoted to Merit Class, which meant he received slightly more in his pay packet.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Brighton Herald 2 February 1908, P.C. Turner listed amongst
other Hove Police Officers receiving bravery awards

On 13 August 1913 he came to the aid of a ten-year old child from drowning just as she was sinking beneath the waves for the third time. At the time he was on duty at the Free Bathing Station opposite Langdale Gardens, Hove. He was obliged to swim out to the rescue at once ‘without divesting himself of his uniform’. The young girl was Miss Ramsden of 106 The Drive.

By 1917 PC Turner was getting a little long in the tooth and he had completed 26 years of service in Hove Police. But such a valuable man could not be allowed to retire when so many young constables had joined the armed forces. He finally retired in May 1918.

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Brighton’s ‘Old Police Cells Museum’ (under Brighton Town Hall)

Free Admission, Access by Tour only,

Tours available at various times of the year,

see:- The Old Police Cells Museum website for more details

Sources

Angel, Chief Inspector K. East Sussex Police 1840-1967
Brighton Graphic

Chief Constable’s Report for Borough of Hove 1907 Hove Library

Chief Constable’s Report for Borough of Hove 1928

Dale, Antony Fashionable Brighton 1820-1860 (1947)

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Hove Council Minute Books

Middleton, J. A History of Hove (1979)
Mr R. Jeeves
Mr P. Meeson
The Old Police Cells Museum Brighton

Petition for Incorporation (1898) Hove Library

Porter, H. The History of Hove (1897)
Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove

Rules, Regulations, Orders and Directions for Officers and Men of Hove Police Force (1859) Hove Library
Sala, G.A. Sala's Journal - A Weekly Magazine for All

Sopp, E. J. B. Leaves from the (unofficial) note book of a special constable 1916-1920 3 volumes Hove Library

Sussex Daily News (1 September 1942)

page layout by D.Sharp

28 January 2020

Hove Borough Police Force