Why Couldn't the Police Catch 'Jack the Ripper'? (Edexcel GCSE History)

What Lessons did the Police Learn From the Whitechapel Murders? - Summary

The failure of the police to catch 'Jack the Ripper' led to a thorough review of the practices of the Metropolitan Police. 

The Met did not have a centralised criminal database. This impacted the ability of the police to narrow down potential suspects in the Whitechapel murders. In 1894, the Met adopted the Bertillon System of record-keeping. The Bertillon System took measurements of a suspect, captured their mug shot and stored this information in a central file. A decade later, the police also took fingerprints to add to this file. This helped the police catch repeat offenders.

In the Whitechapel murders, constables could only signal for assistance by a whistle. H Division received a telephone line to Scotland Yard in 1901. Instead of being on foot, the Met equipped their constables with bicycles in 1909. While this lagged behind some local police forces, it still improved the communication systems at the Metropolitan Police.

Whitechapel remained a dangerous part of London. Despite acts that improved public health and housing in the area, the 1890s saw an increase in burglaries and crime against prostitutes. Murder still occurred throughout the 1890s. The legacy of 'Jack the Ripper' remained in Whitechapel. 

Rivalry between Police Forces in the Whitechapel Murders

• In 1888, there was a strong rivalry between the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police

  • The London City Police was formed in 1832

    • It changed its name to the City of London Police in 1839

  • In the 1830s, the Met put pressure on the government to force the City of London Police to merge with them

    • The City of London Police only covered an area of roughly 1 square mile of London. Its boundaries fell inside the Metropolitan Police's zone of London

  •  The government allowed the City of London Police to function independently from the Met. This is because:

    • It was a wealthy and powerful area of London and the government needed the support of the City of London's residents

    • It had a strong pride in its local police force

How did police rivalry affect the investigation into the Whitechapel murders?

• Historians have suggested two reasons why Commissioner Warren removed the writing from Goulston Street:

1. Whitechapel was experiencing strong anti-semitism during the Whitechapel murders. Warren did not want the photograph to cause more aggression between the Jewish community and other nationalities in Whitechapel

2. Competition with the City of London Police. Commissioner Warren removed a clue in Eddowes' murder. He hoped that this would give the Met an advantage in their investigations over the City of London Police

• The rivalry between the two London police forces took the focus away from catching 'Jack the Ripper'

The Problems of Media Sensationalism in the Whitechapel Murders

• The newspapers made investigating the Whitechapel murders a lot harder for the police. The newspapers in 1888:

  • Published factually incorrect statements about the murders

  • Encouraged anti-semitism by suggesting the murderer was a Jewish person

  • Created hysteria in Whitechapel, increasing the public's fear

• The large amount of publicity disrupted the police investigation

  • The newspapers' constant reporting encouraged hoaxes

    • This spread misinformation about the murders

• The Metropolitan Police assigned Inspector Frederick Abberline from the CID to the case. His role was to assist H Division in catching 'Jack the Ripper'

• Abberline received over 300 letters and postcards from people claiming to be 'Jack'

  • The police published some of these letters, like the 'Dear Boss' letter. They hoped that someone would recognise the handwriting

The Lack of Forensic Science

• Key developments in forensics happened after the Whitechapel murders

What technology did the Metropolitan Police not have access to in 1888?

How was a lack of forensics an issue in the Whitechapel murders?

• The Met had virtually no scientific methods to help them discover 'Jack the Ripper'

  • The only chance of getting a prosecution was catching the murderer in the act of killing

Did the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee Help or Hinder the Whitechapel Murders Investigation?

• The Whitechapel community became frustrated at the police's attempts to catch 'Jack the Ripper'

  • They did not understand why the police would not offer financial rewards for providing information that led to an arrest

• A group of Whitechapel businessmen created the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee on 10th September 1888

  • This was a reaction to the murder of Mary Ann Nichols

• The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee:

  • Organised its own reward system

  • Employed two detectives focused on the 'Jack the Ripper' case

  • Created as much attention as possible at night

    • Members of the committee walked the streets with hob-nail boots, whistles and burning planks of wood

Government reaction to the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee

How genuine were the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee's intentions?

• Some historians believe that the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee wanted to catch the murderer

  • They used their own money to fund rewards for information and pay for the detectives

  • They patrolled the streets at night showing their dedication

• Other historians argue that the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee had a different motivation

  • The SDF may have created the committee 

    • Elections for the London Country Council were happening soon

    • Disrupting the police investigation with false leads would make the Met look bad. This would increase Whitechapel's anger at the government

    • At the elections, more people would vote for the SDF