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[[Category:Public Services]]
[[Category:SiteIndex]]
[[File:RE_Pol_1.jpg|400px|thumb|right| Trafford Assocation Public Notice 1817.]]▼
===Powers of Magistrates pre 1856===
Before the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_and_Borough_Police_Act_1856 1856 County and Borough Police Act] responsibility for the administration , as well as the enforcing of law and order lay in the hands of magistrates selected for the responsibility in the Hundreds Divisions of the Shire Counties. Hoole and Newton were in the Broxton Hundred, whose magistrates' meetings and hearings were usually held at the Egerton Arms in Broxton, where matters of a mainly rural nature were dealt with. The magistrates were responsible for the police service and a County Police Court at Chester Castle dealt with local offences.
▲[[File:RE_Pol_1.jpg|400px|thumb|right| Trafford Assocation Public Notice 1817.]]
During this time many cases were brought as a result of the work of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_association Associations for the Prosecution of Felons], formed by landowners concerned about the rising level of crime, the local one being the Trafford Association. Its public notices issued annually from 1795 to 1820 listed the local landowners and spelt out very clearly the nature of the crimes about which they were concerned.
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===Response to the Urbanisation of Hoole and Newton===
As the residential area of Hoole and Newton grew following the arrival of the railways a more serious face of crime and its frequency developed, so much so that in 1856 a petition was sent to the Broxton magistrates asking that a police officer be based in the area. The magistrates ordered the constable based at Trafford, (
In February 1857 a meeting of the inhabitants of Bishopsfield and Flookersbrook was held at the Faulkner Arms in [[Faulkner Street]] with once again a view to obtaining a resident police constable in the vicinity.
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Sgt Clarke was to remain in post for nearly 21 years. He lived at the Police Station with his wife and stepson, and invariably police constables were lodged there. His successors were changed frequently perhaps questioning the phrase "Getting to know one's patch".
[[File:PoliceStationMap.jpg|1000px|thumb|center|Map showing location of the Police Station and the internal layout.]]
Their duties as with all policemen were to enforce the law, uphold the peace, investigate criminal activity and to respond to emergencies. Newspaper reports give details of many incidents, some interesting ones appearing below.
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====Incidents and events====
The six public houses in the area regularly presented two problems - [https://newspapers.library.wales/search?range%5Bmin%5D=1804&range%5Bmax%5D=1919&alt=%28%29&page=1&refine=&query=hoole+AND+police+AND+drunk&sort=score&order=desc&rows=12&publication%5B0%5D=The+Chester+Courant+and+Advertiser+for+North+Wales&publication%5B1%5D=Cheshire+Observer drunkenness] and drinking outside licensed hours. Over the years incidents occurred at every one, resulting in challenges to the renewal of landlords' licences.
* 1857: The stone gate pillars to Moor Park damaged by stone throwing : culprits imprisoned for two months hard labour at Knutsford House of Correction.
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* 1866: Fifteen people occupying two small rooms in New Peploe Street. Walls and floors in a filthy condition. Owner ordered to remove tenant who had sub-let.
* 1867: As a part of a search for arms thought to have been secreted there by the Fenians, [[Flookersbrook]] Pits were dredged and 150 rounds of ammunition found. 1200 'strangers' believed to be Fenians came to Chester from Ireland and the North-west of England and were expected to attack the Castle to obtain arms (see: [http://chester.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Chester_Castle#The_Fenian_Plot_of_1867 Fenian Plots]).
* September 1868: Samuel Weaver, beerhouse keeper at The Beehive, let a field he owned to a group of gypsies so that they could hold a gypsy ball. He was charged with selling beer off the premises without a licence for which he was fined £5 plus costs. Having previously been fined £2 plus costs for keeping his house open after legal hours the renewal of his licence was refused.
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* 1873: and next few years. Reportedly thousands of people in the area for the National Primitive Methodists' Rally on the Folly Field.
* 1878: [[Chester Union Workhouse]] on Hoole Lane opened. Increase in number of vagrants heading for "The Spike" and a night's lodging.
* 1893: [[Royal Agricultural Show in Hoole]] required crowd and traffic management
* 1896-8: Chester Football Club's grounds in Hoole. Large numbers attended matches
* 1898: Hoole sub-postmaster for nine years, Richard Balshaw, indicted for embezzling £37, "''a sum entrusted to him by virtue of his employment''". He had
* 1899: Four boys aged between 9 and 12 summonsed for stealing pigeons from a loft in Tomkinson Street. Sentenced to receive six strokes each of the birchrod.
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===Local policing in the Twentieth Century===
The advent of motorised vehicles added a significant dimension. Vehicles had to be registered and drivers licensed. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Car_Act_1903 Motor Car Act 1903] made it an offence to drive on a public highway in such a way as to be dangerous to the public. The highest speed was to be 20 miles an hour.
In both World Wars The Defence of the Realm Acts imposed many restrictions and it was the responsibility of the police to monitor and enforce the regulations. The Aliens Act required persons not of British nationality to register with the police - a Russian watchmaker from Manchester turned up at Hoole Police Station. All persons keeping homing pigeons had to register them, and movement could only take place with a movement licence issued by the police. Pigeon fancying was a very popular hobby in the area.
Local police officers were involved in cases of absenteeism from military service, Herbert Richardson from [[Lightfoot Street]] was charged with failing to join the Colours, and James Jones of Clare Avenue was charged with absenteeism from the Army Reserve Class B. There were many cases of the black-out not being observed, and under the Lighting Control Board Regulations orders as to lights on vehicles had to be enforced.
[[File:RE_Pol_8.jpg|400px|thumb|left| Car in Westminster Road with blacked out headlight.]]
All of this meant working closely with Civil Defence Workers, Air Raid Precautions (ARP) wardens and the Home Guard. In addition normal peacetime duties were made more difficult due to the blackout and rationing, criminal activity increasing. Black market trading was another issue, a case in Hoole involving the purchase of cloth without coupons by Jimmy O'Reilly and Peter Coyle Marl ensured much gossip and a petition for leniency for the much liked chip shop owner. Another premises on [[Faulkner Street]] run as betting shop by Freddy Ankers was raided, gambling in such a way being illegal.
Policing in the City was seperate from the County Police Force until 1974 although they did work together. In 1948 the City Police had to "borrow" two cells at Hoole after rounding up thirteen alleged operators of varied games of chance at Chester Races. After the forces amalgamated in 1974 the police station in Hoole was closed.
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Cpt Johnes Smith was its first occupant, the 1861 Census recording his wife and four children, his mother-in-law and eight members of staff living there. A coachman was employed for the journey into Seller Street, the location of the County Police Headquarters.
[[File:RE_Pol_11.jpg|100px|thumb|right| Cpt Smith's family at leisure at Hoole Lodge.]]▼
[[File:RE_Pol_10.jpg|100px|thumb|left| Cpt Smith's family at the lakeside.]]▼
<gallery>
Cpt Smith donated £25 to the building fund for All Saints Church which opened in 1967 and a brass plaque in the church commemorates his activities there. He, his wife and family played an active part in local life, being associated with many events at the Church and the Lecture Hall▼
</gallery>
▲Cpt Smith donated £25 to the building fund for
There was embarrassment in 1865 when his son, Ensign St Clair Smith, then of the 49th Regiment, Dublin was convicted for attending a cock-fight at Peel Hall,near Tarvin. He and twelve other gentlemen were fined £5 plus costs.▼
▲[[File:RE_Pol_9.jpg|400px|thumb|left| St Clair Smith school photograph.]]
▲There was embarrassment in 1865
Cpt Smith died in 1877 and:
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Cheshire's second Chief Constable was Capt Arrowsmith, but because Capt Smith's widow was allowed to remain at Hoole Lodge, he resided at The Elms, which following the death of George Meakin was available to rent. Capt Arrowsmith attended the presentation made to Sgt Clarke in 1878, albeit being responsible for his move after 21 years.
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No records have been found of his playing any part in local life; he was a controversial character, nepotism being alleged in some of his appointments. Capt Arrowsmith died suddenly in 1881, his funeral procession being similar to Capt Johnes Smith's with information that after crossing Hoole Bridge it turned left along Seller Street, passing the Police Headquarters before proceeding along Foregate Street en route to Overleigh Cemetery.
In September 1881 Col J.H. Hamersley was appointed Chief Constable and he and his family moved into Hoole Lodge, where he soon advertised its 17 acres as being available for grazing. In 1884 he presided over entertainment for the newly formed Hoole branch of the Church of England Temperance Society. In 1899 he successfully objected to a drinks licence being granted for Hoole Volunteer Fire Brigade's sports day which was held at Hoole House, which neighboured his property.
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[[File:RE_Pol_14.jpg|
He was elected to the Hoole Local Board in 1885 at the same time as the Hon Claude Hamilton Vivian. The Board was at that time in some turmoil. Its Clerk, Joseph Bridgman, who had guided it since its formation in 1864 had died in 1881. His successor, W.M.Weaver, a solicitor, and his deputy W. Grice, who was also its surveyor had difficulty in handling some of the issues such as the taking over of the Hoole Turnpike Road in November 1883, the repercussions of Charles Brown's [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/1876/39/pdfs/ukla_18760039_en.pdf Flookersbrook Improvement Act 1876], and the pressure from Chester Town Council for the area to be absorbed into its jurisdiction.
By 1888 Hamersley and Hamilton Vivian had persuaded J.P. Cartwright, the Chairman of the Board and a solicitor, to become its Clerk, forcing the resignation of Weaver and Grice. Having brought about some stability Col Hamersley was Chairman in 1888, had signicant input into the movement of traffic, the metalling of roads, and was a member of the deputation seeking access to Chester General Station from Hoole - his signature can be seen on
When the Royal Agricultural Show came to Hoole in 1894 he would have been a very interested party, because in addition to policing considerations, Hoole Lodge was next door to the showground. He was a cricketer, recorded as scoring 23 not out for Hoole against Upton C.C., also encouraging [[All Saints Church]] Boys Cricket Club. In 1891 he was the founder of Hoole Literary Institute.
In 1907 a 14h.p. Siddeley motor car with acetylene lamps was purchased for his official use, with an allowance of £200 p.a. for running costs and driver's wages. This was an open sided vehicle which the Chief Constable soon had modified.
Following Col Hamersley's retirement in September 1910 Hoole Lodge was no longer used as the official residence and was returned to the Earl of Shrewsbury's estate. It was eventually sold for housing, being advertised as the Hoole Lodge Estate which was to become Park Drive.
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<small><small>Article by Ralph Earlam - 10/6/22</small></small>
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