Athelstan Popkess
Encyclopedia
Athelstan Horn Popkess CBE (1893-1968) was Chief Constable
of Nottingham City Police from 1930 to 1959.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He was the youngest Chief Constable ever appointed at the time, and achieved a notoriety following an investigation into corruption in Nottingham City Council
.
) network. It was developed because of the foresight of the Chief Constable. The city was divided into zones, controlled by report and control centres with 45 auxiliary fire service stations.
Amongst his other innovations were:
His career was abruptly cut short in 1960 over an issue in the constitutional question of control of the police. He refused to hand over a report into financial irregularities by some City Council members to the Watch Committee. He was suspended as unfit for office under the Municipal Corporations Act 1882. Intervention by Rab Butler
, the Home Secretary
saw him reinstated but he retired that same year.
The "Popkess Affair" was a prime factor in the appointment of the Royal Commission and the subsequent Police Act 1964
which sought to establish the respective powers of the Home Secretary, a Police Authority and the Chief Constable.
He died at the age of 75 in Torquay.
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Nottingham City Police from 1930 to 1959.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He was the youngest Chief Constable ever appointed at the time, and achieved a notoriety following an investigation into corruption in Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council is the non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. It is led by Jon Collins, of the majority Labour Party. The deputy leader of the...
.
Background
He had been a member of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary and was photographed giving the Nazi salute in a Stuttgart boxing ring in 1936.Chief Constable
His appointment at age 37 was not without controversy; But he was a visionary policeman. Nottingham was the first city in Britain to develop an ARP (Air Raid PrecautionsAir Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
) network. It was developed because of the foresight of the Chief Constable. The city was divided into zones, controlled by report and control centres with 45 auxiliary fire service stations.
Amongst his other innovations were:
- the first forensic laboratory in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- the introduction of police dogs
- an advanced driving school
- traffic wardens
- wireless communications in his Mechanised Division which grew to a force of 39 vehicles and 70 officers using Standard Ensign cars and Triumph ThunderbirdTriumph ThunderbirdThe Triumph Thunderbird is a British motorcycle that was introduced by Triumph in 1949 and produced in its original form until 1966. The name was used three more times for new and distinct Triumph models.-Original model:...
Motorbikes
His career was abruptly cut short in 1960 over an issue in the constitutional question of control of the police. He refused to hand over a report into financial irregularities by some City Council members to the Watch Committee. He was suspended as unfit for office under the Municipal Corporations Act 1882. Intervention by Rab Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
, the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
saw him reinstated but he retired that same year.
The "Popkess Affair" was a prime factor in the appointment of the Royal Commission and the subsequent Police Act 1964
Police Act 1964
The Police Act 1964 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that updated the legislation governing police forces in England and Wales, constituted new police authorities, gave the Home Secretary new powers to supervise local constabularies, and allowed for the amalgamation of existing...
which sought to establish the respective powers of the Home Secretary, a Police Authority and the Chief Constable.
He died at the age of 75 in Torquay.