“Under My Hand and Seal”
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5703000315 |
| Published date | 01 July 1957 |
| Date | 01 July 1957 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
214
THE
POLICE
JOURNAL
car was called to the scene of a reported break. Neither the C.I.D.
officer
nor
the driver was able to pinpoint the address, which was
perhaps the most obscure in that area, but a Special Constable, also in
the car, was able to direct them straight to it. A trained Special Con-
stable is a police-conscious civilian when not on duty,
and
will often
be in a position to observe and report on suspicious incidents which
would not occur in the view of a uniformed officer. Because of his lack
of obvious police bearing
and
deportment he can be used to advantage
on special occasions as a plain-clothes aide. This is not to imply
that
Special Constables should acquire the character and reputation
of
a
'copper's nark.' Nothing would be more inimical to their effectiveness.
In conclusion, we may summarise the advantages and disadvantages
of
the Special Constabulary as an active first reserve in the British
police system.
Advantages:
Keenness and enthusiasm.
Local knowledge.
Civilian status.
Disadvantages:
Lack of training and experience.
Limited availability.
Restricted knowledge of day-to-day police business, information,
etc.
H is suggested that, on balance, well-trained Special Constables with
adequate experience can be of great use to the modern police force,
and should be used to full advantage.
"Under
my
Hand
and
Seal"
AJUSTICE of the peace is
not
required to have (and invariably he
hasn't) a seal of his own. He may use someone else's and it may
be of wax or a wafer. In point of fact, in R. v. St. Paul, Covent Garden
(1845), 9 J.P. 441, it was held that an impression made of ink with a
wooden block in the usual place of a seal was sufficient. The imprinting
or impression of such a seal is probably connected with the ancient
tradition of justices of the peace when the use of a seal was believed
to be a solemn identification of the justice's act.
For
example, in
Dalton's Justice
of
the Peace (1742) c. cxviii, at page 272, it was said
that a justice of the peace could not send for or command any man to
be arrested or brought before him or to be imprisoned (who is not
in his presence) by word only, but by precept or warrant in writing
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