In 1829, due to the apparent increase in criminal behavior, especially that against property, the British Parliament passed the Metropolitan Police Act, establishing what is widely considered the first modern police force in the world (Metropolitan Police Act 1829). Before this time, law enforcement had fallen on the shoulders of parish constables and watchmen appointed by Justices of the Peace, a disorganized system that hearkened back to the 1600s (Taylor 1). Wales, Scotland, and Ireland soon followed England’s lead, establishing police forces of their own. By mid-century, there were over 200 police forces in England and Wales alone.

The formation of these various police forces reinforced the consolidation of power in central government over the nineteenth century, serving as daily visual reminders of the government’s authority to the general population. This reminder was not often welcomed, and England’s police forces were met with suspicion and hostility for many years after their initial formation with many elements of society, from the common man to the gentry, viewing a professional law enforcement agency as a potential threat to traditional liberties (Taylor 1).  By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the police had become a widely accepted faction of English society.

The police faced a long hard road on the way to this acceptance. In the early years after their formation, the Metropolitan police were often called to put down riots and disperse large crowds, sometimes reverting to questionable uses of force. In addition, the new force faced numerous discipline issues, with approximately 50% of police officers recruited in the first six months after the force’s establishment being dismissed from their duties for such behaviors as drunkenness (“History of the Metropolitan Police”).  Moreover, there were also charges of incompetence, especially in high profile cases such as that of Jack the Ripper, that fed into the negative image of the police. Eventually, however, this image of the police began to change. Police actively went out of their way to identify themselves with the citizens they were serving, going so far as to fashion their uniforms after civilian styles rather than military ones (“History of the Metropolitan Police”).  In addition, they were encouraged to cooperate with the general public as much as possible in order to keep the peace viewing themselves as servants rather than overseers (Taylor 76). It was this image, along with the increasing professionalism of the force, the marked decrease in crime, and the encouraging economic climate that eventually led to widespread acceptance of the police by the end of the nineteenth century.

- Jessica Richert