How Did Robert Peel Use Of Police Reform

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During the 1820s, the London police primarily consisted of the Bow Street Day Patrol and the Night Watch. Due to the rapid population growth that occurred throughout England, crime increased, and the police was unable to patrol all areas. Many feared that their property was in danger, which caused them to complain to the government about the lack of an effective police force. Following his position as Chief Secretary of Ireland, Robert Peel became Home Secretary of England, where he began to reform the police system. Robert Peel’s experience in politics along with the government’s need to end the chaos of the 1820s enabled him to successfully develop the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829. The rapid population growth in London made it difficult …show more content…

In this position, he witnessed a substantial amount of crime, most of which was violent and vicious. In Ireland, Peel developed the Peace Preservation Force, a centrally controlled uniform police unit. This reform provided him with the inspiration and experience needed to develop the Metropolitan Police Force. In a letter from Robert Peel to Mr. Goulburn, Chief Secretary of Ireland, Peel describes the actions that must be taken prior to creating a new police system. He recommends acting quickly and beginning with “a survey of arms and means of defense while we are comparatively at leisure in society.” His time in Ireland made him skeptical about long-term times of peace, and influenced his view that one must always remain alert. In 1822, Robert Peel became the Home Secretary of England for eight years, excluding an interruption of service in 1827 during the Canning and Goderich Ministries. In 1828, he resumed his plans for the Metropolitan Police. During his years as Home Secretary Peel’s logical attitude towards his work motivated him to clarify the legal …show more content…

The Metropolitan Police Force consisted of one thousand four hundred officers and was funded by Parish Rate, a tax levied to provide support for the poor. Early on, the increased presence of police officers caused the public to view them as an invasion of political and social life. However, the decline in crime and the officers’ ability to deal with chaos and riots convinced the public of the necessity of the force. Today, historians debate the effectiveness of the police, because although the officers ended a period of violent crime, the number of petty crimes increased. After the establishment of the Metropolitan Police force, burglary decreased by twenty-two percent and larceny in dwellings decreased by seventy-seven percent. In the years following the establishment of the Metropolitan Police, the force even more effective and received approval from the Queen of

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