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Justin Block
Lynda Haas
Writing 39B
30 April 2014
Character Profile: The Victorian Police
Crime has been a part of our culture for many years and can be seen in any image,
whether it is books, news, or movies. The police force has a responsibility to control the
criminal activity, but sometimes they can be ineffective. An ineffective police force has
influenced the lives of many citizens, and the citizens are living in a world of fear. The Victorian
police force has caused this fear to their citizens, and this gave Arthur Conan Doyle inspiration
for writing Sherlock Holmes stories, which reflects the incomplete police force. Some of these
texts inspired were Conan Doyles The Sign of Four, Silver Blaze, and The Red-Headed
League. In The Sign of Four Holmes investigates the death of Thaddeus Sholto and the stolen
treasure of Agra, and Silver Blaze is about Holmes tracking down a horse and the death of his
master, which was executed from the horse in self-defense. The Red Headed League tells the
story of Holmes investigating the disappearance of a group, which was organized to steal money.
In the detective genre, the genius is primarily solving the investigations, while the police sit back
and do less work. Maria talks about not everyone thinking like Sherlock Holmes, because he is
simply beyond knowledge and the police cannot compete with him. For Holmes, Farrell talks
about Holmes transcending a normal human being with his power. An incomplete police force is
one of many factors Panek describes as the rise of a detective genre, and Prigozy talks about the
genres unique properties compared to other genres.
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The rise of crime and ineffective police in the Victorian Era has inspired many writers to
make a new genre that has expanded over time to twenty first century. Prigozy mentioned
Detective stories help reassure us in the belief that the universe, underneath it all, is rational.
Theyre small celebrations of order and reason in an increasingly disordered world.(Prigozy).
Panek would agree with Prigozy about a disordered world from Panek saying Doyle, through
his fictional narrator, takes it as a given that the public has a right to know about crime,
criminals, policemen, and detectives. (76). In Beginnings, Panek would back up this
statement with the case that Jack the Ripper was on a killing spree, and the police did nothing to
solve this problem (8). In The Sign of Four Mary Morstan went to the police to help her look
for her father, but the police only put up an ad instead of following clues or traces (345). Panek
also mentions that the police force were once stabilized and efficient, but with constant struggles,
they were not seen as heroes to the public (8).
From crime rising, Doyle created a pocket genius, who is Sherlock Holmes, to atone for
the polices work in crime solving. Holmes uses a different method and theory than the police
force for solving crimes. In Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock Holmes, Maria talks
about two systems, the Watson system and the Holmes system. The difference between these two
systems is one involves observation, while the other includes deduction (Konnikova 18). The
police would fit with the Watson System since they believe whatever comes to them instead of
figuring it out for themselves (Konnikova 18). In The Sign of Four detective Jones assumed that
Thaddeus was the one, who killed his own brother, but the police never expected to think of
anyone using the window as a way of entry or to see the oil that as on the floor (909). Maria
believes that with practice people can be able to transfer from the Watson-System to the Holmes-
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System. Doyle, however shows that the police will have a difficult transition in the system from
their arrogance as portrayed in The Sign of Four. From The Sign of Four detective Jones said
Facts are better than mere theories, after all. (909). Farrell would agree with the distinction
between Holmes and the people, because Farrell compared Holmes to a fortuneteller or a
medium. Holmes is like a fortuneteller, because he has a strange ability to control people
through their minds (Farrell 47). This power cannot be easily be achieved for the police, only
Holmes can do it. Doyle shows this trick of Holmes getting people to confess in Silver Blaze
when Holmes told Mr. Brown something crucial that made Mr. Brown angry. Doyle even used
some of Poes idea in making Holmes stories, which is the police vs the amateur, or detective
(80). Doyle would agree there is a sort of race between the police and Holmes for solving the
crime first.
Crime rising left fear in many of the citizens heart during the Victorian Era, which
resulted in an untrusted relationship between the police and the citizens. In Beginnings, Panek
mentioned a case where the police were convicted of using a man to do a heinous act (8). This
was one of the cases during the Victorian Era that showed an incomplete police system. This
caused distrust in the police and Doyle shows it through The Sign of Four This just the case
where they [police] might be invaluable. If they [police] fail, I have other resources; but I shall
try them first (1237). Doyle has Holmes use the Baker Street Irregulars and Toby, the hound, o
track down Smalls instead of using the police force. In The Red-Headed League detective
Jones said he [Sherlock] has been more nearly correct than the official force. Maria would
agree that Sherlock has been nearly correct from the motivation and practices that Sherlock has

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when he does his cases. Holmes has been a genius at what he does from intense training of the
mind that makes him a much better detective than the normal people, or police (Konnikova 23).
Conan Doyle was able to take advantage of the police system to create the genius, who is
still worshipped today. An ineffective police system is a major factor of creating a detective
genre and Doyle provided a reflection of the police force during the Victorian Era. The detective
genre is still being used today to alleviate the fear from their ineffective police system, and is
incorporated into movies and shows.















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Works Cited
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013.
Kindle eBook. Online.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 1: Silver Blaze." The Memoirs of Sherlock
Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1894. Web. April 29, 2014
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 2: The Red-Headed League." The Memoirs of
Sherlock Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1894. Web. April 29, 2014
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997. Print.
Farrell, Kirby. Heroism, Culture, and Dread in The Sign of Four. Studies in the Novel
16:1 (1984): 32-51. JSTOR. Web. 01/15/2014.
Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York:
Viking, 2013. Print.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.