• * * Lord Byng Lord Byng of Vimy retired
on Wednesday from the Commissionership of Police for the Metropolis after three years of strenuous and invaluable work. Despite a long spell of ill health, Lord Byng has reorganized the London police force and given it new tone and new vigour. It would be inaccurate and unjust to suppose that his chief difficulty has been to put a stop to corrupt practices, for the London police, in the main, have long been a most honourable body of men. While Lord Byng has dealt sternly with a few offenders, in connexion with night clubs and bookmakers, he has been mainly concerned to improve discipline, to use the force to greater advantage and to supply it with modern devices for the better pre- vention and detection of crime. More telephones, a special wireless system and a new service of motor patrols have strengthened the hands of the police in dealing with motor bandits and other offenders, so that the increase of crime, which was to be expected in these hard times, has on the whole been checked. In Scotland Yard, in Canada, and as a soldier at home and in France he has done a fine life's work.
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