Scotland Yard in United Kingdom
Scotland Yard
Introduction to Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard, popular name for the headquarters of London’s Metropolitan Police Force, and especially its Criminal Investigation Department. The name is derived from a small area where the headquarters was situated from 1829 to 1890. The area, in turn, was named after a medieval palace in which the kings and queens of Scotland resided during state visits to London. The custom of referring to the headquarters and its officers as Scotland Yard began soon after the Metropolitan Police Force was reorganized by the British statesman Sir Robert Peel in 1829. The headquarters was moved in 1890 to new buildings erected on the Thames Embankment, which were known as New Scotland Yard. In 1967 the present headquarters, a modern 20-story building situated near the Houses of Parliament, was opened.
Scotland Yard has been famous around the world for many years. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is known for its extensive investigative techniques and activities. Its fingerprint division was the prototype of similar systems used by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and by many other modern police forces. In addition, the Yard maintains a criminal records office, forensic laboratories, a detective-training school, a criminal intelligence department, an antiterrorist unit, and fraud and drug squads. Besides its work in crime detection, Scotland Yard directs all metropolitan police activities, including traffic control. The CID is frequently called in to help local police in solving complex cases. Many authors have used Scotland Yard as a background for their mystery stories; among the most prolific, John Creasey, writing as J. J. Marric, chronicled the exploits of Gideon of the Yard.” (1)
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