Describe Law and Order in the late 19th century

I did this for my GCSE History. Grade: A

In the late 19^th century many people were moving from the countryside to London in search of jobs. This meant that the population of London increased greatly and the number of crimes committed in London also rose. This meant that law and order in London had to change. At the beginning of the 19^thcentury, order was kept by the Justices of Peace. This was an effective system. However, in 1829, the Metropolitan police were set up as the Justices of Peace had trouble keeping the peace due to the increase of people living in London. Punishments began to change during the late 19^th century as public executions started to encourage crime and by the end of the 19^th century a more modern system was introduced and criminals were sent to prison rather than executed.

During the late 19^th century people began committing crimes such as pick pocketing and garrotting so that they had money to buy food. Because of the industrial revolution, many people had moved to London in search of jobs. However, there were not enough jobs for anyone and many people were left with nothing but petty theft as an option. Pickpockets also had greater opportunities to work as the streets became overcrowded. As well as pickpockets there were also garrotters. Garrotting is a more serious version of pick pocketing. A garrotter would half strangle his victim to death before robbing them. Some people chose garrotting to pick pocketing because the punishment was exactly the same and because there would be less chance of getting caught. The problem with having the same punishment for both crimes was that people would more likely chose the more serious crime as there was less chance of being caught. If the punishment for pick pocketing was less severe they may have committed an act of pick pocketing rather than garrotting.

Before the 19^th century and during the beginning of the 19^th century, law and order was kept by the Justices of Peace (J.P.s). The Justices of Peace were chosen by the king and they were helped by constables and watchmen. This system was effective but by the middle of the 19^th century the population began to grow. Soon there were not enough people to keep law and order. The “Bow street runners” were set up to help. Whenever there was a serious problem, the army was called in to help. However, if the army was called in, things could easily get out of control. If the army couldn’t control the problem things would get violent and many people would be killed by the army. By the late 19^thcentury the government realised that the system of law and order had to change.

Because of the rise in population the J.P.s couldn’t keep control of London anymore. Whenever the army was called in, things always got violent. This is why the Metropolitan police were set up in 1829. It was set up by Robert Peel who believed that the system in use at that time was inefficient. In the Metropolitan police there were 17 divisions each with 4 inspectors and 144 constables. The Metropolitan police were the first major reform of law enforcement in the 19^th century and nothing like this had been tried before. The police officers were soon referred to as “bobbies” or “peelers” after Robert Peel. Their job was to roam the streets of London to keep them safe. The responsibilities of the Metropolitan police were to keep the peace in London and deal with any problems without the army being called in. As it got harder for the officers, departments were set up within the Metropolitan police to help keep the peace. In 1842, the detective department was created which was followed by the National Criminal record in 1869, the Criminal investigation department in 1877 and Special Branch in 1883. However, despite the departments within the Metropolitan police, the officers on duty still faced problems. The main problem was the fact that officers were only armed with a truncheon which left them open to vicious attacks from criminals. Many officers were forced to leave due to drunkenness and, because they were disliked, many officers suffered attacks from people. However, despite these problems, the Metropolitan police were effective at keeping law and order during the late 19^th century.

Public executions in London started in 1783. Many people would gather round to see a criminal’s death. However, during the late 19^th century, crowds of 200,000 gathered to witness the executions. This meant that executions were an ideal place for prostitutes, armed robbers and pickpockets. People also began to see executions as inhumane and they were stopped in 1868 as they no longer acted as a criminal deterrent. After public executions stopped people were imprisoned instead. People saw this as a more humane punishment because prison meant that criminals could be reformed. In 1854, Lord Shaftesbury established the Prisoners Aid society which aimed to lend support for prisoners upon their release. More improvements were made later in the 19^th century. In 1877, the prisons act put all British prisons under the control of the Home Secretary, in 1898 and 1899, the use of the crank handle and treadmill was banned and by 1900 the “modern and humane” system of imprisonment had been established.

In this essay I have described law and order in the late 19^th century. I have discussed the system of law and order before the 19^th century, the formation of the Metropolitan police, the jobs they did, the growth of the Metropolitan police and the development of prisons in the 19^th century. In conclusion, throughout the 19^th century, law and order improved throughout London as public executions were stopped and more officers were put on the streets. The system of punishment also improved and by the end of the 19^th century, London had established a new and more efficient form of law and order.