MPS historical collection

Report: 8
Date: 1 February 2007
By: Director of Resources on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report informs Members of improvements made to the maintenance of the MPS Historical Collection and the intention to make the artefacts more accessible to the public.

A. Recommendations

That members:

1. note the improvements made to the maintenance of the MPS historical collection; and
2. note the position with regard to the legal advice about the ownership of the artefacts held.

B. Supporting information

1. The Metropolitan Police Service historical collection can be traced back to 1949 when the Bow Street Museum was established on the top floor of Bow Street Police Station. This housed artefacts and records dating back to the establishment of the Metropolitan Police in 1829. The Bow Street Museum was never formally open to the public although visits by appointment were possible.

2. It is necessary to draw a distinction between the artefacts and records held within the historical collection, and items from notable crimes maintained with the Metropolitan Police Crime Museum. Whilst there is an element of synergy between the two collections, the latter is retained for police training purposes and contains items that would not be suitable for public display. Both are managed independently within the MPS.

3. When the Bow Street Police Station closed in 1984, the historical collection was moved to a warehouse in Brixton and subsequently in 1990 moved to its present warehouse site in South East London. Both locations were unsuitable for members of the public to visit and as a consequence the ability to promote the value of the historical collection to a wider audience waned over the years.

4. Despite the best efforts of a few members of committed staff and volunteers, the absence of a suitable, permanent home for the historical collection had a deleterious impact on staff morale. Combined with a lack of management focus on the direction the historical collection should take, there followed a period where an unlimited number of artefacts and papers were accepted for retention to the extent that the existing premises became full.

5. Following the publication of a MPA Audit report in November 2004, a small team was formed from within Resources Directorate to undertake the rationalisation of the historical collection. Priority was given to addressing Health and Safety concerns. The subsequent rationalisation freed up considerable space to allow for the inspection, assessment and cataloguing of the remaining items to ensure those retained are of relevance and significance to the history of the Metropolitan Police.

6. To date, over 10,000 items have been catalogued onto a computer database. These include examples of uniforms dating back to 1829; a unique collection of medals; retention of one complete set of Police Orders from September 1857; and integration of the Central Records of Service of police officers.

Current activities

7. In September 2005, an individual was appointed to a newly created post of Head of Historical Collection. With previous experience of handling archives and an extensive knowledge of police history, she has been able to provide stability and professional oversight of the collection. She is a member of the Crime and Punishment Collections Network, the London Museum Archives and Libraries Association, and the National Museum Archives and Libraries Association.

8. Through these links, a number of temporary loans have been made including photographs and artefacts to the Clink Museum in Southwark, and photographs and books to the Open University covering ‘The Second World War and Policing’. This is in addition to the regular loan of photographs, artefacts and other items within the MPS for local Borough Open Days and Volunteer Cadet initiatives. Future loans are planned for the Museum of London, the Docklands Museum and the Brent Museum.

9. Although the National Archive holds many files relating to the Metropolitan Police, the historical collection holds on permanent loan Divisional Records of Service and Divisional Ledgers dating between 1860 and the early 1920’s. The historical collection continues to hold the Central Records of Service of former police officers, which would otherwise have been destroyed.

10. The historical collection is a valuable resource to those undertaking academic research, and to those tracing their ancestors. On average, 20 calls are received daily and over 150 letters and e-mails are received each month.

11. Supporting the existing two members of full time staff at the historical collection, ‘The Friends of the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection’ have helped with indexing the Central Records of Service and books, and to a limited extent, with searching of the records in response to enquiries.

Sponsorship and income generation

12. Whilst much has been achieved in stabilising the collection, in order to look to the future (against a climate of pressing demands on MPS financial resources), it may be prudent to seek sponsorship or explore income generation opportunities. Two income generation initiatives are being pursued which may generate modest sums.

13. Working with the MPS Events and Income Development Unit, discussions are underway with commercial picture libraries to negotiate licensing agreements. These will allow appropriate use of photographs held within the historical collection, for which the MPS would receive royalties. The copyright of the material would remain with the MPA.

14. To meet the demand for genealogical enquires made of the historical collection, a charging regime is to be established and this will be administered through the creation of a separate dedicated web site. The collection will charge £15 for an enquiry, which is comparable to that charged by similar organisations such as the armed forces, and should recover the start up costs and annual bandwidth charges.

15. Should a major sponsor emerge, authority to proceed would be sought from the MPA.

The way forward

16. In attempting to provide a secure future for the historical collection, there are two major obstacles to be overcome. Firstly, the question of ownership, which is covered in Section E below, and secondly the acquisition of more suitable accommodation.

17. Accommodation remains an area of concern: although the current premises at Charlton are serviceable, they are not conducive to allow for broad public access. A move from the present location would need to be considered in the context of the Property Services Warehouse Review. However, the likelihood of securing even a redundant part of an existing building let alone sole occupancy of accommodation within the existing MPA estate exclusively for the purpose of putting artefacts on public display must be considered remote.

18. An alternative solution would be to utilise the web site being created to handle genealogical enquires and develop this further to create a “virtual museum” where the artefacts and documents could be digitally photographed and made available to a wider audience.

19. Opportunities to develop use of the artefacts in connection with citizenship programmes run by suitable partners have been explored but to date, nothing has come of these discussions.

20. What is evident is that the desire by interested parties close to the Historical Collection to promote the heritage of the Metropolitan Police has not been matched by any interest shown by potential commercial or indeed suitable public service partners. This is a clear indication that the cautious approach so far adopted is wise.

C. Race and equality impact

The current premises occupied by the historical collection are not suitable for disabled access; any future premises would need to meet such a requirement.

D. Financial implications

1. The current annual budget for the historical collection is £108K. This is predominately made up of staff salaries. The anticipated cost of establishing a dedicated website to handle enquiries is £10K, with annual bandwidth charges in the region of £5K – these costs can be covered by expected income.

2. Establishing a ‘virtual museum’ featuring relevant artefacts held within the Collection on a website has been estimated at around £30K. No attempt to embark upon this course will be undertaken until such time as appropriate funding has been secured, and the continued viability of cost recovery for undertaking enquiries has been firmly established.

E. Legal implications

1. There is uncertainty about the legal position in relation to the ownership of the artefacts. Legal advice previously received has indicated that ownership of the artefacts was vested with the Trustees of the Bow Street Museum upon the creation of the MPA. However, the Trustees have not met for a considerable time and with the sale of the Bow Street premises, an alternative must now be explored.

2. Consideration is being given to winding up the Trust and legal advice is being sought. Preliminary advice on the interpretation of the Charities Act indicates that should the Trust cease, the artefacts would need to be dispersed to similar charities. This would be a challenging and significant undertaking. Detailed advice is being sought to clarify the position in order to safeguard the heritage of the Metropolitan Police.

F. Background papers

None

G. Contact details

Report author: Andrew Bundle

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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