The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 712 - 343 Scotland Yard Jointly Establishes University

The newly completed lecture hall at the University of London was packed with reporters from news agencies big and small across London.

Arthur, clad in a full Scotland Yard senior officer’s uniform, sat on the stage, stretched out his hand to take the signing pen from Louis, and with a flourish, signed his name on the document in front of him.

Though his signature was as stylish as ever, a careful observer might still notice something different about Arthur today.

If expressed in artistic terms, it could be said that the burden on Mr. Hastings’s shoulders had grown heavier.

In plainer language, there was now a baton added to the epaulettes on his shoulders, complementing the Order of Saint Edward already there.

Of course, with the addition of this baton, his business card had also been accordingly updated.

Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police,

Director of the Greater London Police Department’s London Police Intelligence Bureau,

Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Police College of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,

And the proposed inaugural Principal, Mr. Arthur Hastings.

The ink on the cards had not yet completely dried; a gentle wipe with a finger could still feel a hint of warmth.

Signing a name didn’t take much time, but Arthur enjoyed the process.

Because this might be the lightest work he had done in the past few months, if not for the following months as well.

Arthur stood up with a smile, exchanged the agreement documents with Horner, the Principal sitting opposite him, and then grasped the former mentor’s arm tightly and gave it a firm shake.

"Mr. Horner, I’m delighted that Scotland Yard has been able to reach a partnership agreement with the University of London. I have no doubt that the University of London will provide ample knowledge training for the middle management of Scotland Yard, who will in turn utilize the knowledge they learn here to serve the vast citizens of London. I believe, with our joint efforts, all the vicious criminals in London will have no place to hide," said Arthur.

Although Principal Horner tried hard to conceal his excitement, the corners of his mouth rising betrayed his true feelings.

"I must admit, if the University of London’s most important breakthrough in 1831 was successfully obtaining the Royal Charter for teaching, then our headline news for 1832 is the cooperation agreement with Scotland Yard. Arthur, believe me, choosing the University of London as the partner is the most correct decision you have ever made in your life," said Horner.

Arthur responded with a chuckle, "Principal, I don’t think so. I believe the most correct decision I’ve made in my life is choosing to become a student here. Therefore, facilitating the cooperation agreement between Scotland Yard and the University of London can only take second place."

Horner laughed heartily, "Second right is still right, which is much better than making a wrong decision at some church college. Not to boast on behalf of the school, but you, as our outstanding graduate, should know that the University of London’s talent pool in chemistry, geology, medicine, and other areas of natural philosophy is not something that any two church colleges could compare with."

"Of course," Arthur smiled back: "After all, Scotland Yard is not expecting its officers to weaken the power of criminals by reciting poetry. What we need is more scientific theory and more advanced and specialized training, which is the most important reason we chose the University of London."

On stage, the old and the young were cheerfully engaged with each other, while the reporters below couldn’t wait to ask their questions.

Seeing as he was in a good mood today, Arthur was also happy to answer their queries.

However, what he could say was just repeating the same old platitudes he had already said countless times.

As to why, and how he was able to bring about the cooperation between Scotland Yard and the University of London, rather than the annoying but equally academically physique King’s College next door, Arthur, of course, would not disclose the real reason.

Actually, the real reason was not that complicated – one only needed to glance at the board of governors of King’s College to understand.

Since the previous monarch, King George IV, passed away, the current president of the King’s College board of governors is none other than the Duke of Wellington.

Oxford and Cambridge are the strongholds of the clergy, while the neighboring King’s College serves as the training ground for the new conservative forces of the Tory Party.

Therefore, for Arthur, persuading the Home Office to accept cooperation with the University of London was not too difficult.

And for the Treasury, which is responsible for compiling Scotland Yard’s annual budget, the University of London was also an excellent choice.

The reason being, their tuition was really cheap compared to the traditional church universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

Moreover, the location factor of being in London meant the Treasury could avoid the concern of reimbursing high commuting expenses for the officers.

Not to mention that Arthur had convinced them of the University of London’s actually solid quality of education.

Even if the University of London’s social prestige and recognition could not yet match Oxford and Cambridge, at least in the region of England, it could be ranked third.

Though England had only four universities at the time, it’s still not the last, is it?

At least to Arthur, if a university could educate someone like Eld, who else couldn’t they educate?

Cheap, efficient, offering relatively high-quality education, and also being the stronghold of the Whig Party.

Even if one turned over England’s soil upside down, they would not find a more suitable university for training key police officers than the University of London.