The Queen's Police.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 7371, 19 November 1898, Page 4

The Queen's Police.

[The practical duty of defending the Queen from harm is undertaken by a body of police so unobtrusive in their dress and habits that their existence is scarcely realised even by the ladies and gentlemen of the Court. Some of these are uniformed, but the greater number are plain clothes officers, all of them b<»ing drawn from the A Division of the Metropolitan Police. Admission to their ranks 13 granted only to men of intelligence and high character, and they are all officers of experience. They, however, do not take the initiative in any step 3 that are devised for fche protection of the Queen, butt are ander the disciplined direction of Superintendent Charles Fraser. This capable of&aer began his career as a policemin in the middle of the century, and for more than 20 years he has had control of the complex arrangements that are made for safeguarding Her Majesty. He is now a hale veteran, with a trim white beard, a ruddy face, the air of a clubman, a g'ossy bat, sometimes exchanged for a tourist's felt, and a buttonhole as to whose make up he is always very particular. The casual observer might suppose Mr Fraser to be a mere siglr - seer like himself, and if the superintendent were asked a question as to the Royal palace he would leave in his answer the impression that he knows as little a3 his questioner. His task is ail the harder because of the necessity of concealing from the Queen, if she Bhonld perhaps be passing, the fact of bis presence, and, indeed, her Majesty will frequently spend days together without coming into actual contact with any member of the force that is engaged in the responsible work of shielding her from harm. So experienced has the superintendent become in penetrating the motives of the men that be is able at a glance to detect in a large crowd the men who ire likely to be bent on mischief, and these are at once placed under the surveillance of the men. The superintendent is the one man besides the Private Secretary who is apprised beforehand of the whole plans which the Queen intends to carry out throughout the day. Even his own immediate subordinates are often ignorant as to details of her Majesty's movements, although they are worthy to be entrusted with the responsibility when the need arises. Superintendent Eraser and his men follow the Court to Balmoral, when their task is generally lighter tban at Windsor. Beyond persistent watchfulness, they have little to do, except when her Majesty drives through Braemar or attends a service in Crathie Church.