The Turf Fraud case took place between the years 1876-1877, where Scotland Yard investigated a complex betting fraud based in London that targeted members of the public in France. The investigation into the case was slow, due to the little technology and forensic science available which meant criminals were able to hide a lot easier; however the culprits were trialled and sentenced to penal servitude in 1877. Yet the most significant factor within this case was the discovery that detectives at Scotland Yard had assisted the fraudsters to delay their capture and agreed to this by taking money. It led to the arrest of some of the most long-serving and trusted senior detectives. This had a significant impact on policing, highlighted by the development of the Criminal Investigation Department in 1878 due to this case, which suggests that the police force themselves also felt that the police were inadequate as they made changes. The trial was a public sensation which also gives light to the public attitude of the police and many sources suggest that the public held an attitude that the police were corrupt and inefficient. This was only one case which was significant in changing attitudes towards policing along with others that will be addressed in the essay, and other factors which influenced the changing attitudes of the police include key individuals, the role of the government and the role of the media. The most significant factor which changed attitudes towards policing in the nineteenth century were cases such as The Turf Fraud case, however other cases are also just as important in changing attitudes. Cases were most significant in changing attitudes towards policing as they influenced the way the police were presented in the media over the nineteenth century and which Acts the government introduced.
The significant factor stated in the question in changing attitudes