As Hogmanay 1909 turned into New Years Day 1910, Blantyre police didn’t want a repeat of thefts of the previous year, so they initiated a stakeout of popular Blantyre Pubs, which proved to be their good decision.
It was a weekend stakeout of the New Year Season, from the Friday until the Monday and special focus was put on all of Blantyre’s licensed premises thinking that some ‘drouthy characters’ would see opportunity in the quiet streets. In the early hours of New Years morning 1910, the police arrested three young men caught red handed breaking into a public house.
The arrests were by all accounts pretty ‘smart’ and efficient and the main credit went to Constable Johnstone who was stationed at High Blantyre.
To illustrate this news snippet, three local Police officers are photographed by early Blantyre photographer, David Ritchie around this era.
