The Shadow of Great Britain

141: Chapter 99 Temporary Measurement and Survey Bureau of the London Area 141: Chapter 99 Temporary Measurement and Survey Bureau of the London Area Whitehall, Home Secretary’s official residence.

Sir Peel had finished reviewing the documents one after another, then nodded with satisfaction.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled at Arthur, who sat across the desk.

“Arthur, what can I say?

Every time I see you, I feel very pleased because you always bring me good news.

You not only eliminated Fred on the high seas, but you have also voluntarily taken on the task of eradicating his remaining followers.

If every police inspector at Scotland Yard had your dedication, I believe the crime rate in the London area could eventually be reversed.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur said, “Sir Peel, I always take it as my duty to benefit the country and the public, and I am very happy to be able to contribute to the citizens of London.

However, before truly achieving your goal, I still insist on maintaining cautious optimism.

Although the campaign you promoted to abolish the ‘Bloody Act’ was very successful and the proportion of serious crime charges in the London area could show a significant downward trend, it greatly relieved the workload at Scotland Yard.

But you must have foreseen with your far-reaching vision that, under your guidance, the police at Scotland Yard can ensure that no major criminal groups emerge in the East District, but it is not possible to completely eliminate small crime gangs.

The crime rate in the London area is highly positively correlated with the poverty rate.

As long as London cannot provide enough job opportunities, there will always be people who take risks, after all, criminals also have to find ways to survive.”

Sir Peel, upon hearing this, nodded with a wry smile and said, “Arthur, I am glad that you can see the essence through the phenomena, but this is a very long-term plan.

Frankly, my hands are really full with various proposals to boost the economy and promote employment.

However, under the current circumstances, I indeed find myself somewhat paralyzed by the monkeys in the House of Commons.”

At this point, Arthur timely asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Sir Peel thought for a moment and eventually waved his hand, “No, no, Arthur, what you are doing now is already excellent, and I really cannot ask for more.

To tell the truth, I feel sorry that I promised earlier to help push through the ‘Anatomy Act’, but it has been several months and it’s still at a standstill.

Even so, you have still faithfully completed every task I’ve assigned to you.

Sometimes I think, it may have been too confining to have kept you at Scotland Yard.

Perhaps I should try giving you another position at the Home Office where you might also shine.”

Arthur’s heart tightened slightly, thinking over what Sir Peel said, something seemed off.

Sir Peel, who was sharp in perceiving the momentarily frozen air, placed his hands crossed on the desk and said.

“Don’t take it to heart, what I told you are real concerns.

You might have seen in the newspapers that the situation within the Tory Party is not optimistic.

I…

I mean, if we are brought down, your situation might become very dangerous.

Your recent showings have been too striking, and with the strong ‘Peel label’ on you, if the Whig Party comes to power, you might be disposed of.

Arthur, you have helped me a lot, to the point where you could have even joined the Royal Navy.

General Cordington also sought me recently, speaking to me individually about your case…”

At this, Arthur smiled and shook his head, “Sir Peel, I don’t care about my position.

If you feel that Scotland Yard no longer needs my service, or if moving me elsewhere can better benefit the country and the public, of course, I am willing to follow your orders.”

Sir Peel, satisfied, nodded and asked, “Very good, so your visit today must be for more than just these reasons?”

Arthur nodded and replied, “The situation in Tower Hamlets has temporarily stabilized, so I have begun to plan to implement the scheme you previously mentioned in the Home Office documents.”

Sir Peel thought about it and roughly understood what Arthur was referring to.

Scotland Yard had reported to him several times about areas in West London’s St Giles Church or the slums in the East District, where the streets were too narrow.

Such chaotic urban layouts with narrow streets typically become breeding grounds for crime.

Faced with the entry of criminals into certain areas, they could easily shake off pursuing police due to their familiarity with the local streets.

Secondly, the police were also afraid to enter such areas alone, as most of the incidents of assaulting the police from Scotland Yard fundamentally occurred in these regions.

Therefore, to address this issue, Peel had once ordered the patrolling officers from Scotland Yard to mark all the challenging areas and streets during their patrols, and then have them roughly charted by the Ordnance Survey under the Army and the Hydrographic Office under the Navy.

Finally, it was up to the Home Office and the Treasury to connect and see how much it would cost to refurbish these streets.

If the price was right, Sir Peel wouldn’t mind adding another accomplishment to his record.

Arthur began, “I think that entrusting the geographical survey work to the Ordnance Survey under the Army or the Hydrographic Office under the Royal Navy is an overkill.

After all, the initial intent of their establishment by the former King George II was to prevent the Jacobin invasion from France, and their surveys were conducted with military considerations in mind.

Moreover, the nerves of the Londoners were already on edge due to the July Revolution in France and the uprising in Brussels, Belgium.

If the artillery’s survey department is mobilized now, it might unnecessarily cause trouble.

Just like your initial intention to establish Scotland Yard and recruit us police officers was to combat the crime rate without mobilizing the military police, I think this mapping work might also need a harmless temporary organization to assist in its completion.”

Arthur’s words seemed normal on the surface, but Sir Peel still picked up on a few keywords—Army, military police, Scotland Yard, police, Ordnance Survey, Royal Navy Hydrographic Office, harmless temporary organization.

Sir Peel knew very well that the work of both the Army’s survey department and the Navy’s statistics department was not as pristine as the names on their signs suggested.

The most typical example was the Beagle, which Eld and Darwin were about to board.

The Beagle, a ship directly under the Hydrographic Office, was nominally an expedition ship but was actually tasked with surveying maritime charts and ocean conditions of the Pacific in South America, and it also carried the crucial mission of spying on the political powers along its route.

Hearing this, how could Sir Peel not understand Arthur’s implication?

He thought about the current situation and suddenly, with a chuckle, he asked, “Arthur, what exactly are your views on the Parliamentary reforms?”

Arthur calmly replied, “I am just an ordinary person, so I can’t offer any insightful views.

I can only borrow a famous quote from Aristotle to express my superficial opinion.

There are three good forms of government and three bad ones: monarchy and tyranny, aristocracy and oligarchy, republic and mob rule.

If differentiating by the number of people involved in governance, then monarchy and tyranny involve the rule of one, aristocracy and oligarchy the rule of a few, and republic and mob rule the rule of many.

The number of people is not the issue; the ability to govern appropriately is.

At the end of the day, even a political party with many members eventually chooses just a few leaders, and the voice of the party ends up being the voice of these leaders only.”

Sir Peel heard this and suddenly smiled knowingly.

He said, “Arthur, I really don’t know what to say about you.

Perhaps you should consider running for a seat in the Tory Party.

Although being a Superintendent is already quite prestigious, it still doesn’t match your ideas and capabilities.”

Arthur took out a document he had drafted long ago from his bag and slid it across the desk.

Sir Peel took the document and skimmed it briefly, murmuring, “London Area Temporary Survey and Statistics Bureau…”

Arthur asked, “What’s your opinion?”

Sir Peel smiled lightly, dipped his quill pen into the ink bottle, and with a flourish, signed his name.

“Since such a temporary organization doesn’t need to be approved by Parliament, I agree.

But at the same time, Arthur, I must remind you that I can only authorize you, as the Home Office currently can’t spare any extra budget to support you.

So, what you can achieve will depend entirely on you.

However, don’t feel too pressured; your primary task is still to manage police work well.

As for the rest, I really can’t ask for more.

I always remember that the Duke of Wellington’s Cabinet has lasted this long partly due to your efforts.”

Arthur nodded slightly, stood up, and saluted Peel, “Rest assured, Sir.

While other police districts in Scotland Yard might run into issues, I promise that at least the London Area Temporary Survey and Statistics Bureau will always remain loyal to you.”