The Blue Plaque is located at Top Hat Terrace, 113-117 London Road.
Francis 'Tanky' Smith was the first detective to be employed by the new Borough Police Force, which was established in 1836.
Tanky was a master of disguise, and by mingling incognito with the criminal element in the town's inns and taverns, reputedly did much to decrease the level of crime. When he retired from the Borough Force in 1864, he became Leicester's first private detective.
He made his reputation when hired by the Winstanleys of Braunstone to look for James Beaumont Winstanley who went missing while on a European tour. Tanky traced him to Koblenz, where his body was found floating in the River Moselle.
Handsomely paid, Tanky invested the money in land and in Top Hat Terrace on London Road, which was designed by his architect son, James Francis Smith. The Terrace has 16 carved heads, each representing Tanky Smith in one of his many disguises. Click the links on the left to see these.
