Jerome Caminada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerome Caminada (1844–1914) was a 19th century police officer in Manchester, England. He has been called the "father of the Manchester CID" and "the Garibaldi of detectives".[1]
[edit] Life
Caminada was born in Deansgate, Manchester in 1844, to an Irish mother and an Italian father. At that time, Deansgate consisted mostly of public houses, brothels, and poor quality housing for mill workers, and was the heart of Victorian Manchester's crime world.
He began working as an engineer in the city, but in February 1868, he joined the Manchester City Police force, at the age of 24. In 1872 he was promoted to sergeant, and transferred to the newly formed detectives division, based in the town hall. Over his thirty-year career, he earned the respect of colleagues, judges and criminals alike; he was often known as Detective Jerome to the local criminals, who struggled with pronouncing his last name.
In 1888, Caminada's national reputation for policing – he was reportedly responsible for the imprisonment of 1,125 criminals and for the closure of around 300 public houses – earned him promotion to inspector. Threats on his life were commonplace; Caminada often used to carry a pistol, and had cause to use it on more than one occasion.
His policing style was eccentric by modern standards, often involving dressing in disguise to gather evidence on suspects. He also maintained a large network of informers, who he would often meet in St Mary's Church – "The Hidden Gem". His methods were effective, however, and he was soon made the city's first Detective Superintendent.
He retired in 1899, becoming a private detective, an estate agent and briefly involving himself in local politics as a Manchester city councillor.[1] He also wrote his memoirs, first published in 1901 as Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life and then republished in 1994 as Caminada - Crime Buster (ISBN 1-874358-13-3).
Caminada died in 1914 at his home in Moss Side at the age of 70, following injuries he received as a result of a bus accident in North Wales in 1913. This had led to some confusion as to the actual date of his death. He is buried in Manchester's Southern Cemetery.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Anthony Rea. Jerome Caminada - The Garibaldi of Detectives. Manchester's Ancoat's little Italy. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
