Painting by Walter Sickert that is allegedly titled "Patrol"

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.028456

I note you seek access to the following information:

I'm interested to know about a painting by Walter Sickert that is allegedly titled "Patrol" and is supposedly hanging in the Metropolitan Police Department in London.

I'm sure you're familiar with Miss Patricia Cornwell, and I was given her book on Jack the Ripper, I presume, as a joke. However, I run a small private book club that deliberately seeks out some of the worst books we can find and we're having a delightful time of it. So far we've had no trouble contradicting almost everything set forth in the book, but we've come to a passage where she discusses the "Patrol" painting. I can't seem to find too much information on it, so I was hoping someone would be able to help me, or at least corroborate (or not) some of what she's put in her book.

She claims the painting is not well liked, especially by women, though she gives no particiular reason for it (perhaps she is suggesting that women can sense an evil aura from it?). She goes on to say that it's hung behind a locked door and chained to a wall, though in the one photograph I could find of it, I noticed a potted plant next to it and no chain (unless due to the weight of the canvas, it needed to be mounted with a little more strength, which makes more sense than what she seems to be suggesting; that the painting itself is so disliked that they chose to disgrace it via bondage). I'm curious to know if she is exaggerating the location of the painting and the general disdain for it, or if perhaps, we've come to the one passage of her book that is not an invention of her seemingly very active imagination.

I am in no hurry to hear back from you as I'm sure you are very busy with other, much more important things, but my friends and I do look forward to hearing from you, if at all.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Our records indicate that this was hung at the New Scotland Yard. However, that was 8 years ago and is currently in our off site store.