His father was an English barrister who emigrated to Canada in 1833 and became a member of the legislative assembly, a colonel in the militia, businessman and ultimately a judge.
[4] Prince's predecessor, Samuel Sherwood, was fired along with the entire police force as the result of lack of discipline, corruption and rioting.
Under Prince, the police were organized under military discipline to the extent that unmarried constables were required to be housed in special barracks and needed approval to marry.
[5] Prince resigned as chief constable in 1873 in order to become the first warden of the new Toronto Central Prison at King and Strachan Streets.
The American embassy in Ottawa complained and the Attorney-General of Ontario ordered, in 1881, that the brutality stop and that flogging not occur without his permission.