BY GRAHAM MAJOR
In 1929 when the Regents Canal Company purchased the Grand Junction Canal, they formed a new concern, The Grand Union Canal Company, both had previously had their own police forces.
Officers were appointed as Special Constables under the Canals Offences Act 1840, Section 1, and had power on all company property and one mile beyond.
There were some twelve officers at the Regents Canal Dock where they manned the Quays during working hours. They were also present at the dock gates where persons and vehicles leaving the area would be subject to search. There was also about another eight officers who patrolled the tow path from the docks area up to at least Hayes to prevent swimming and to deter theft from barges and canalside properties.
Whilst giving evidence in 1930 at Marylebone Court, Constable Waters stated that a group of bathers threatened him and made attempts to push him into the canal and that he found it necessary to draw his truncheon to defend himself and to make off from the scene for his own safety. One of the bathers was later fined 5/- in connection with the incident.
In late 1930, Constable Coates detained six youths for bathing in the canal at Bethnal Green. They were each fined 3d at Old Street Magistrates Court. It is interesting to note that the magistrate concerned queried why it was necessary to arrest them for breaching legislation going back to the reign of George III, and would it not have been better in this day and age to simply take their names and addresses. When Constable William Playford brought six youths before magistrates in 1938 for bathing in Welsh Harp Reservoir Hendon, they were each made to pay 4/- costs, before having the charges dismissed.
In late January 1931, a person was reported missing and soon after their bag was found floating in the canal. Sadly, whilst conducting dragging operations with equipment loaned by the Heinz Company, PC Waters recovered the body near Ealing Road bridge.
In April 1931 a male was bound over at Wealdstone, to be of good behaviour for six months, after being found guilty of trespass on the tow path.
Helmet Plate (Courtesy Dave Wilkinson)
Whilst on patrol in plain clothes on 27th August 1932 Constable No. 19 had cause to advise a number of men at Acton Lane they could not bathe in the canal, to which they replied "all right guvnor". A short time after the Constable returned as the men had been joined by James Haines. After being told repeatedly to go by the Constable, he struck him in the face. As a result both men ended up in the water at which point another man threw stones at the Constable's face. Haines was fined 20/- for trespass and a further 40/- for assault.
In 1932, Inspector Frederick Dott and Constable A Waters were investigating the theft of coal from the barge Ilex, which Constable Waters had noticed had been tampered with earlier in the week. They spoke to a Mr Lewis, a long serving bargee, who admitted taking an amount for the purposes of keeping warm. The outcome of this incident is not known.
In June 1936, Constable Wiiliam Playford was awarded the Royal Humane Society Parchment after the previous month in which he had dived into the canal near Perivale to save a mother and her three month old daughter from drowning.
In July 1936, an 18 year old youth, who had been arrested by Constable A Waters for bathing in the canal, was fined £2 10/- for assaulting the Constable whilst on his way to custody. In July 1937, Constable Waters detained a male for discharging an air pistol on the tow path. The male was prosecuted and fined 20/- by the Marylebone Magistrates. Also in this month Constable Robert French observed a body floating in the Ruislip Reservoir. With the assistance of the Reservoir Keeper the body was brought ashore and found to be that of a local missing man. A verdict of suicide was returned.
In June 1939, 18 year old James Branscombe was placed on probation at Marylebone Police Court having been found guilty of using insulting words and assaulting Constable Stirling whilst he and a colleague were arresting another man for trespass.
On the 16th February 1940, John Addis, a dock labourer, was found guilty and sentenced to four months hard labour at the Thames Police Court for theft of sixty-three tins of sardines from the vessel SS Delfinis which was moored in the Regents Canal Dock. The arrest occurred after Inspector Dott overheard the accused man's name mentioned when others were discussing the theft.
Sadly, in the early hours of the 24th December 1941, Constable William H Coates drowned when he fell whilst on foot patrol in the Regent's Docks.
From the information gleaned above it can be concluded that Inspector Frederick Dott was Senior Officer between at least 1930 and 1940.
The Force was absorbed into the British Transport Commission Police as of the 1st January 1948.
Sources
- Daily Herald, 04 September 1930 *
- Illustrated Police News, 04 September 1930 *
- West Middlesex Gazette, 18 April 1931 *
- Kensington Post, 09 September 1932 *
- West Middlesex Gazette, 29 October 1932 *
- Acton Gazette, 04 February 1934 *
- Acton Gazette, 26 June 1936 *
- West Middlesex Gazette, 18 July 1936 *
- Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette, 31 July 1936 *
- West London Observer, 02 July 1937 *
- Belfast Telegraph, 09 August 1938 *
- Marylebone Gazette, 17 June 1939 *
- East London Observer 17 February 1940 *
- The Sphere, 03 November 1934 *
- British Transport Police Archive
- * The British Newspaper Archive
