Starter: match the
th th 18 -19
crime to the time!
century
Crime Arson
Time Time 15 years 21 days’ transportation hard labour
Abandoning family Stealing onions Begging Murder Assault Trespassing Stealing a waistcoat
2121 days’ days’ hard hard labour labour Seven years’ 21 days’ penalimprisonment servitude (prison) 1 month’s 21 days’ hard labour/fined hard labour 27 shillings Hanged6from months’ the neck hard until labour dead Seven 21years’ days’penal imprisonment servitude (prison) 1 month’s 15 hard years labour/fined transportation 27 shillings Hanged 6 months’ from hard the neck labour until dead
Key words: Peelers /
Bow Street Runners /
CID
How and why was the first police force set up in London in 1829? LO’s: • To describe and explain how law and order was enforced during this period
How and why was the first police force set up in London in 1829? • As crime became organised and social disorder grew, it put an immense strain on the dated Tudor system of policing suited to small villages. • In the 19th century, a different type of policing was required to handle an industrialised, urbanised Britain. Use the information cards to create a timeline to illustrate the developments in policing during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Create a living timeline/graph to show how effective these new methods of policing were. 1750
1800
1850
1900
1750 The Bow Street Runners 1754 – first organised police unit, Hue and Cry news-sheet saw beginning of a national crime information network. However, progress towards a proper police force was still slow.
More efficient
 Living timeline graph: draw a box to show how efficient this new development was then add information inside (or below for more room).
1800 1850 1900
Welcome to Police Academy, 1888…
Complete sections 1 and 2 of the London Metropolitan Police Application to see if you have what it takes to be a 19th century police officer! Complete sections 3 and 4.
Have you passed the test?
Sorry your application has failed - only males aged between 2027 and 5’7� or taller as recorded on their application form are eligible to apply.
Plenary:
In pairs, discuss the following: • Why did he carry a truncheon?
• Why did he carry a rattle? • Why did he wear a top hat lined with iron? • In what ways is he similar to modern policeman?
The Bow Street Runners were set up in 1754 under Henry and Sir John Fielding, magistrates in the heart of London’s Bow Street. Henry Fielding was appointed in 1748 and found 6/80 constables doing their jobs properly.
The first policemen, known as 'Peelers', were set up in London in 1829 by Robert Peel, the Home Secretary, after 'The Metropolitan Police Act' of 1829. A force of 3,200 police in 17 divisions, 4 inspectors and 144 constables covered 7 miles around the centre of London. The force headquarters was Scotland Yard, and it answered to the Home Secretary. At first the quality of officers was poor (only 600/2,800 new policemen kept their jobs & the first policeman ever was sacked after only 4 hours for drunkenness), but things eventually settled down.
The Rural Constabulary Act of 1839, allowed Counties to raise and equip a paid police force if they wished. This saw the development of the first constabularies. The Act still did not meet the Report's demands for a national police force, with the Metropolitan Police as the controlling power.
Early 1800s – the police force was: • Parish constables (locals appointed for a year at a time dating back to Anglo-Saxon system) • Watchmen (patrolled streets at night under 1660 law)
The Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, allowed Borough Councils to organise a police force but few of them seemed eager to implement the law. By 1837, only 93 out of 171 boroughs had organised a police force.
The River Thames Police was set up in 1798 to coordinate efforts against crime along the whole river; in 1805 a patrol of 54 men was set up to ride the streets and stop mounted theft, nut in 1800 there were still only 68 Bow Street Runners for the whole of London.
1869 - the National Criminal Record set up to make use of the new rapid telegraph communications between forces.
1831 Special Constables Act introduced ordinary citizens as temporary police officers in emergencies.
In 1877 Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was formed by CE Howard Vincent with 200 detectives; 600 more were added in 1883.
1890 – the Bow Street Runners/Foot and Horse Patrol/Thames River Police had been amalgamated with the Met by 1839. Now, 40,000 police in forces covered the whole of Britain.
This system was designed for 4-5 million people but by 1800 the population was 12 million and rising fast.
The 1856 Police Act saw a system for government inspection, audit and regulation for the first time. This County Borough Police Act now forced the whole of the country to set up police forces. 239 forces were set up, still with great variations in pay and conditions; only half of them were found to be efficient.
Sir John Fielding was magistrate from 1754-1780, was blind but was said to be able to recognise 3000 London criminals by their voices. He turned Bow Street Court into a sort of police station and made sure his Bow Street Runners (constables) were efficient, trained and properly paid. He also started the ‘Hue and Cry’ news-sheet, the beginning of a national crime information network. However, progress towards a proper police force was still slow.