The constables meanwhile, were often only working part-time and were paid very little and therefore had little incentive to meet the requirements of their job. Then there were the watchmen, referred to as ‘Charleys’ because they were introduced by King Charles II, but had proved to be predominantly ineffective. There were JPs, known as Justices of the Peace that had been in existence since 1361, appointed by the Crown but were often known for their corruption. The law enforcement in operation in the eighteenth century had changed very little since medieval times. It was clear that the system in place was not functioning as it should, with crime still on the increase and new crimes developing, something new had to be done. The resulting impact was a swelling number of private thief-takers operating around London, rather than the intended consequence of incentivising victims to prosecute the person who had carried out the crime. The increase was considerable from the £40 offered in 1692 for the conviction of such a criminal. The increasing crime rate prompted the government to increase the rewards on offer to around £100 for the arrest of a highwayman, someone who robbed travellers, often on horseback. The informal, volunteer based system was not working. People who partook in this activity, such as a figure called Charles Huitchen and his accomplice Jonathan Wild, were voluntarily policing the streets of London for big profits when in fact, these men and others like them were often behind much of the crime in the area. This resulted in unofficial policemen who were known as ‘Thief Takers’ who would capture criminals for money and negotiate deals in order to return stolen goods whilst claiming rewards. The group would end up successfully solving and preventing crimes until 1839 when the force was disbanded in favour of the Metropolitan Police, leaving behind a legacy for modern-day policing.īefore the introduction of the Bow Street Runners and anything of the like, policing took the form of privately paid individuals used to maintain law and order without a formal system connected to the state. The Bow Street Runners were the first professional police force, organised in London by magistrate and author Henry Fielding in 1749.
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