Arrest Of Major Sheppard

In June 1925, Major Robert Sheppard, an officer of the Royal Southern Air Force and a veteran of the First World War, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London. He was identified by a victim as the "gentleman thief" who had stolen jewelry from an apartment. Despite his high standing and credible alibi, Sheppard was subjected to what the Recorder of London later described as "improper treatment." He was denied the opportunity to contact friends or legal counsel immediately and was placed in a lineup that was deemed highly prejudicial.

The case collapsed when it became clear that it was a total mistaken identity. The actual perpetrator was a career criminal who was subsequently caught and convicted of several other offences. The public outcry over the treatment of a high-ranking officer led the Home Secretary to order a searching inquiry into police conduct at the station.

The Rawlinson Inquiry (named after the legal lead) found that the police had acted with "excessive zeal" and had systematically ignored the existing, albeit weak, protections for detained persons. The inquiry's findings were damning, revealing a culture where the presumption of guilt often overrode the rights of the individual. As a direct result, the "New Police Regulations" of 1925 were issued. These mandated that all detained persons must be informed of their right to contact friends and solicitors, and established stricter rules for identification parades—many of which formed the bedrock of what would eventually become the PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) codes used today.