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stating that the Commissioner had directed that Police
Officers should no longer be employed in specially watching
brothels for the Parish Authorities. No cause was assigned
for this sudden change of policy, but two memoranda were
enclosed with the Commissioner's letter; one being a copy of
certain remarks made by Mr. Montagu Williams at Southwark
Police Court, to the effect that "the Parish would not
put down these places, and the Police had to be taken from
their other duties to do the work of the Vestries;" and
the other a statement of the law as to the prosecution of
brothel keepers. The only inference to be drawn from the
enclosure of these memoranda was that the Commissioner had
based his order upon them. It will be observed that the
Vestry did not ask the police to prosecute, but to obtain
evidence upon which the Vestry could prosecute, consequently
neither the remarks of Mr. Williams, nor the
memorandum on the legal aspect of the case, at all touched
the point at issue.
It thus appearing that the Commissioner had based his
Order upon some misapprehension either of fact or law, the
Vestry addressed the following communication to the Chief
Clerk of the Metropolitan Police, in the hope that on full
consideration the Commissioner would see fit to withdraw his
Order:—
Sir,—
I am directed by the Vestry of this Parish to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo (numbered 82,204), with reference
to some alleged disorderly houses in this Parish, enclosing copy of certain
remarks made by Mr. Montagu Williams at the Southwark Police Court,
on the 10th July (which is evidently a clerical error, as the 10th July
was a Sunday), and stating that the Commissioner has directed that Police
Officers shall not in future be employed in specially watching Brothels
for Parish Authorities.
The Vestry infer that the issue of the order for the discontinuance of
Police observation on houses suspected to be conducted as brothels is