A History of Policing

Policing

This course, by Professor Daniel McCarthy (University of Surrey) explores policing. In the first lecture, we think about a history of policing, up until the 1829 Metropolitan Police Act. In the second lecture, we think about how policing has changed and developed since 1829. Next, we think about some key functions of policing and ways in which certain departments in police forces specialise. In the fourth and final lecture, we think about diversity in the police force and trust relationships between the police and their communities.

A History of Policing

In this lecture, we think about a history of policing, focusing in particular on: (i) Sir Robert Peel, who was home secretary at the time of the 1829 Metropolitan Police Act, which was the formal introduction of the police in Greater London; (ii) the 1856 County and Borough police act, which made police forces in all areas of England and Wales compulsory; (iii) policing prior to 1829 consisting primarily of privately hired individuals tasked with solving a crime, often retrieving stolen property; (iv) the undesirability of this era of policing, due to the vigilante nature of the individuals performing police work; (v) Jonathan Wild who operated both as a member of the criminal underworld and as an assistant to police investigations; (vi) Henry Fielding, who founded the Bow Street Runners in 1749, a precursory force to the Metropolitan police.