Law Enforcement changes 1700-1900

• Bow Street Runners


  Law enforcement group established in 1749 by the Fielding brothers
• Bow Street Runners


  1. Paid for retrieving stolen goods

  2. Based at Bow Street Magistrate Court but would chase criminals across the country if needed

  3. Gave evidence in court against the criminal
• Bow Street Runners extension

  1. Set up a Horse patrol in 1763 to deal with the increase in highway robbery

  2. After 18 months, money ran out and horse patrol was scrapped

  3. Another horse patrol was not set up until 1805
• Fielding brothers' 'Hue and Cry'

  1. Published in 1772 to display listed crimes and criminals and were put up in market places

  2. Became the Police Gazette in the 1800s and by 1914, was published daily

  3. To help catch criminals even if they had moved towns
• 1792


  The government began paying the Bow Street Runners for their job because of their success
• Thames River Police


  Law enforcement group set up in 1798 by John Harriott and Patrick Colquhoun to stop thefts from boats in the River Thames
• Thames River Police


  1. Convinced ship owners to pay for their service

  2. Started with 50 officers

  3. Gained £122,000 worth of property from criminals in the first year
• 1800


  Government began funding the Thames River Police because of their success
• Metropolitan Police Force


  Britain's first ever professional, full-time police force established in 1829 by Robert Peel
• Metropolitan Police Force


  1. Created to make law enforcement more efficient, changing attitudes to law enforcement and the changing nature in society

  2. Started with 3000 policemen (1000 on duty at once)

  3. Wore Blue uniforms and carried a truncheon
• 1830 only 600 of the original Metropolitan Police officers remained because most got sacked for unprofessional behaviour
• 1839


  Bow Street Runners merged with Metropolitan police to create a larger police force
• 1842


  1. Detective force established to look more thoroughly into crimes

  2. People tried to abolish the police force because of the rise in taxes to pay for it
• 1850 - Police force finally received the respect it deserved
• 1884-39,000 police officers in Britain
• Police force in towns

  1. 1835 - towns were allowed to set up their own police force to decrease crime rate

  2. 1856 - it became compulsory for towns to have a police force to decrease the crime rate and to catch criminals that would flee to smaller towns