The area of Scotland Yard, c. Image from 'The town: its memorable characters and events', , courtesy of the University of Toronto on Flickr. Scotland Yard is the name popularly given to the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the police force responsible for policing the majority of Greater London with the exception of the City of London and London's underground and railways. This building was only occupied by the police in , so the name has a much earlier origin.
The name Scotland Yard comes from its very earliest days, soon after the establishment of the police force in London in The first Metropolitan Police station was opened on 6 October in a street called Great Scotland Yard and was at the rear of 4 Whitehall Place which served as the office of the two newly appointed police commissioners. The origin of the name Scotland Yard both Great and Little is unknown, but may be named after a former landowner or a connection with the Kings of Scotland.
The name was in use by the 17th century. The area can be seen on this map. By , The Times newspaper was referring to the police at 'Scotland Yard', and it being the 'home station' of the police and that of the Chief Police Officer [2], and it is clear from other sources of the time that almost from its earliest days the headquarters was known as Scotland Yard.
Wensley joined the force in , and his career was highlighted with many landmark cases, including the murder of year-old French woman Emilienne Gerard, also known as the "Blodie Belgium" case. On the morning of November 2, , street sweepers found Gerard's torso along with a note reading "Blodie Belgium. Earlier in Wensley's career, he did minor detective work on the infamous case of Jack the Ripper, which had gripped London's East End.
Jack the Ripper was the self-proclaimed alias of the serial killer or killers responsible for five murders between and The officers of Scotland Yard were assigned to apprehend the suspect who was responsible for 11 attacks on prostitutes in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area. Police determined the killer's pattern—he would offer to pay for sex, lure the women away and slice their throats—but struggled to track down the criminal. Without modern forensic technology, the officers of Scotland Yard, namely Inspector Frederick Abberline, relied on anthropometry—or identifying criminals by certain facial features, such as brow thickness or jaw shape.
More than people were accused of the Whitechapel murders, ranging from Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll to painter William Richard Sickert.
The force received many letters from people claiming to be the killer; two in particular gave detailed facts and were signed "Jack the Ripper. Since its inception, Scotland Yard has always held a place in popular culture. The officers have appeared frequently as characters in the backdrop of mysteries, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
On television and in magazines today, Scotland Yard "bobbies" can be found standing stoically behind the royal family and other dignitaries that they are assigned to protect. In , the force moved once again to its present location, a modern story building near the Houses of Parliament. The CID has become well-known for its investigative methods, primarily its fingerprinting techniques, which have been borrowed by the FBI.
Today, Scotland Yard has roughly 30, officers patrolling square miles occupied by 7. Currently, Scotland Yard's reputation is in jeopardy, just as it was years ago. News Guardian. Recent queries. Send a query. Lucky dip. Any answers? Nooks and crannies. Semantic enigmas. The body beautiful. Red tape, white lies.
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