Policing In The 19th Century

In 19th Century London, during the time of the Industrial Revolution, the influx of people and increase of crime warranted a change in policing. Sir Robert Peel, British Home Secretary, encouraged Parliament to pass the Metropolitan Police Act. The purpose of this act was to reorganize and improve London's police force (Anderson, 2001).

Peel's reforms set the foundation for law enforcement as we know it today. The twelve fundamental principles established by Peel for the organization of law enforcement are, (1) the police must be stable, efficient, and organized along military lines, (2) the police must be under government control, (3) the absence of crime will best prove the efficiency of police, (4) the distribution of crime news is essential, (5) the deployment of police strength both by time and area is essential, (6) no quality is more indispensable to a policeman than a perfect command of temper; a quiet, determined manner has more effect than violent action, (7) good appearance commands respect, (8) the securing and training of proper persons is at the root of efficiency, (9) public security demands that every police officer be given a number, (10) police headquarters should be centrally located and easily accessible to the people, (11) policeman should be hired on a probationary basis, and (12) police records are necessary to the correct distribution of police strength (Bohm & Haley, 2017).
Therefore, Peel developed these fundamentals with both the needs of law enforcement and the needs of the community in mind. Peel also knew that to be successful the right people had to be selected to do the job, not only in appearance but also in temperament. The fundamentals developed by Peel are important even in today’s law enforcement. The efforts of the police would not be effective without the public’s support and