Watch: punishing crime during World War Two
Life and crime during World War Two
World War Two was fought between 1939 and 1945.
The government introduced new rules such as blackouts, air raid warnings and rationing.
Towns and cities, had no lights at night and so crime increased.
In many cities, lots of houses and shops were bombed. Stealing and robbery happened more.
Did you know?
- During the war, British Double Summer Time was temporarily introduced.
- This meant the clocks went forward two hours from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) rather than one hour.
- This was done to increase the nation's productivity and help the war effort.
Police duties increase due to the war
- The Police also had new wartime duties. They had to make sure people obeyed the wartime blackout rules, help the rescue services during and after bombing raids and search for soldiers who had deserted (run away) from the army.
- Many police were called blackout bobbies because they had to make sure that no light from houses and shops could be seen outside. This was to protect buildings from German bombers flying overhead.
Punishing criminals during the war
Looting was a big problem. The number of bombed properties meant stealing increased. Many were given fines or short prison sentences.
Black market: Selling items on the black market, with no ration card, could mean a fine and imprisonment.
Murder rates increased dramatically during the war. Murder carried the death penalty.
Activities
Activity 1: WW2 crime quiz
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