Broughty Ferry Burgh Police
1888 - 1913Mr William Cameron, Superintendent of the Broughty Ferry Burgh Police
Mr. William Cameron, Superintendent of the Broughty Ferry Burgh Police, was born on January 1st, 1849, in the parish of Cawdor, Nairnshire. He attended the Free Church School there till he was 11 years of age, when he went to Inverness Academy for one session.
He started life as an office boy, at which occupation he remained for a year. His parents made several attempts to apprentice him to a trade, but he preferred country to town life and took to farm work in the shires of Inverness, Nairn, and Moray until he married.
In 1873 he joined the Forfarshire Constabulary; in 1875 he removed to the Ayrshire Constabulary, and in 1879 was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In 1881 he was appointed Office Lieutenant in the Burgh of Govan Force, and subsequently acted as Superintendent of this Force for seven months, only losing the permanent appointment by the casting vote of the chairman.
In 1888 he was appointed Superintendent of the Burgh of Broughty Ferry Police Force, and in April, 1892, received the appointment of Chief Constable of the Burgh of Partick.
Shortly after Mr. Cameron's appointment as head of the Partick Force, the Commissioners, on his recommendation unanimously agreed to have the old two-shift system of night and day duty altered to the present system of two day shifts and one night shift, thereby shortening the duty to nine hours each day. Mr. Cameron has also been successful in obtaining for his men, though not for himself (earning a salary of £260 a year), the highest scale of pay.
He has great faith in exercise for Policemen, and has formed a Police athletic club, and instituted annual Police sports, which, during the past two seasons, have been very successful. All the young members of the Force attend a gymnasium class.
Sources
- Police Review and Parade Gossip, January 25, 1895
Mr John Howard Sempill, Chief Constable of Broughty Ferry
Mr. John Howard Sempill, the new Chief Constable of Broughty Ferry, is a son of the Ex-Chief Constable of Stirlingshire. He was born in Cumberland 33 years ago at a time when his father was a member of the County Force. He was educated at Carlisle at the private academy of the Rev. Mr. Davidson, and afterwards, when his father received the appointment of Chief Constable of the Stirlingshire Constabulary, at the High School, Stirling.
In 1896 he joined the Stirlingshire Constabulary as Constable-Clerk in the Chief Constable's office at headquarters. From 1898 to 1901 he was Sergeant in the Burgh of Falkirk, and from 1901 to 1906 Inspector and Chief Clerk, and Depute Burgh Prosecutor in the Burgh of Falkirk. From 1906 to 1909 he acted as Inspector in charge of the Burgh of Grangemouth and Procurator Fiscal of Grangemouth Police Court. A few months ago he was transferred to the Burgh of Denny.
While in the Chief Constable's office Mr. Sempill seized every opportunity of becoming thoroughly acquainted with the duties, both administrative and executive, of a Chief Officer of Police, and the practical operation of the many Acts of Parliament under which they are called upon to act; with the organisation, command, and drill of the Police, and also with the criminal, financial, and statistical reports and returns by the Constabulary Acts and the Government regulations. He has been accustomed to handle large bodies of Police at gatherings and other special functions, and on three occasions had the honour of being selected as Officer in command of detachments of Police drafted from Stirlingshire on the occasion of visits from their Majesties the King and Queen.
While at Falkirk and Grangemouth Mr. Sempill gained a large experience in the investigation and disposal of serious charges of all kinds; in the preparation of evidence; the drafting of complaints for the Court; in the correspondence department; and in the keeping of the criminal registers.
Mr. Sempill's application for the Chief Constableship of Broughty Ferry was accompanied by a valuable testimonial from Mr. Chas. Middleton, the present Chief Constable of Stirlingshire, who wrote:
Inspr. Sempill has proved himself to be thoroughly capable of discharging all classes of Burgh Police work, and I have very good reason for believing that the manner in which he carried out his duties in the Burgh of Grangemouth gave every satisfaction to the magistrates there. He is well educated, courteous, tactful and obliging, and in my opinion just the class of Police Officer who would make a very good Chief Constable for the Burgh.
His testimonials also included one from the Provost and Magistrates of Grangemouth, who said:
. . . He has performed the duties of Inspector and Burgh Prosecutor and Fiscal to our entire satisfaction. . . . In. his office as Burgh Prosecutor he has had an average of 600 cases, including several licensing prosecutions, through his hands every year, many of them difficult and troublesome, and he conducted them all with conspicuous ability. We at all times found him anxious to carry out loyally any expressions of opinion on our part in regard to the administrative duties of these several offices, and he proved himself to be an efficient Officer. He is the son of the Ex-Chief Constable for Stirlingshire, and as such has had a superior education which constantly displays itself in his courteous manner and tactfulness, and he has a knowledge of affairs much above the average Police Inspector.
On his transfer from Grangemouth in January last, Bailie Main, the presiding magistrate at the Police Court, said he admired the fair and impartial manner in which Inspr. Sempill dealt with the cases brought before the Court. While he did his level best to prove his case, he was always pleased and always seemed very proud if he could say a word in favour of the accused parties. He sincerely hoped that Inspr. Sempill's career in the future would be a thoroughly successful one. Mr. Sempill is unmarried.
Sources
- Police Review and Parade Gossip, 1909
Marriage of the Chief Constable of Broughty Ferry
The marriage of Mr. John Sempill, Chief Constable of Broughty Ferry, to Miss Ella Smith, took place in St. James' Episcopal Church, Leith, early last month. The Rev. Canon Hoernle. M.B., officiated, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Fitch. The bridesmaids were Miss Alice Smith and Miss Alice Sempill, sisters of bride and bridegroom respectively. Subsequently Mrs. Smith, the mother of the bride, held a reception at the Royal Arch Hall, Queen Street, Edinburgh, where Mr. and Mrs. Sempill were the recipients of numerous congratulations.
Sources
- Police Review and Parade Gossip, October 1909
Later Career
With the amalgamation of Broughty Ferry Burgh Police with the Dundee City Police in 1913, Mr Sempill's office lapsed. In November 1914, Mr Sempill was appointed Inspector of Police for Bermuda, with entire control of the Police Force, at a salary of £300 rising in two years to £450. In 1927, he was appointed Superintendent of Police in British Honduras. The Police Force there consisted of two officers and 136 rank and file. In 1931, Mr John Howard Sempill lost his life during the hurricane and tidal wave which devastated Belize in that year.
Sources
- Dundee Courier, 11 November 1914, 16 September 1931 *
- Falkirk Herald, 05 March 1927 *
- Dundee Evening Telegraph, 15 September 1931 *
- * The British Newspaper Archive
