By the time William Joynson-Hicks became Home Secretary in November 1924, the Metropolitan Police had been campaigning for some time for more powers to tackle night club owners such as Kate Meyrick. Joynson-Hicks encouraged raids on night clubs and made plans to bring in a bill to improve the policing of them. He was supported in this endeavour by the chief of the metropolitan police, William Horwood, and the bishop of London. The bill did not progress beyond an early draft in 1925 but organisations such as the British Social Hygiene Council and public concern about the morality of night clubs ensured Joynson-Hicks's "war on night clubs" lasted until the end of his tenure as Home Secretary in 1929.
