POLICE FORCE IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Police Force In England And Wales

Police Force In England And Wales

Introduction

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) consists of a group of islands situated off the western coast of Europe. The UK is a union of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with English being the official language and the pound sterling (£) being the currency. In this entry, the analysis of policing in England and Wales is done together. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland are described in separate sections within this entry—Scotland because the Scottish legal system differs in important respects; Northern Ireland because of its unique history of terrorist or freedom-fighting activities, depending on one's political viewpoint.

History

Early forms of policing in England were localized and unsystematic rather than centralized or systematic. In Saxon England, for instance, family groups belonged to a tithing, who policed their local kinships. The Norman invasion of 1066 led to a little more central control. The offices of constables were created, and these were seen as local representatives of central government. In contrast to modern times, these early constables were part-time and often unpaid.

In 1285, the Statute of Winchester rationalized the system of law by introducing the system of “watch and ward” in towns. The Justices of the Peace Act of 1361 made new magistrates responsible to the crown for local law enforcement. This localized and unsystematic policing was seen to be inadequate, however, in dealing with new problems, such as rioting—an indirect consequence of a more industrial and urbanized 17th-century society. During this period, self-policing was common in that local people tended to hire their own street patrols and prosecuted those who had offended against them. In addition to this, private policing was common, in the sense that large companies had their own police.

New Policing - 1829

The Fielding brothers (Henry and John) were key advocates of reform in terms of their establishment of an early police force, the Bow Street Runners. In 1829, Home Secretary Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Act. The force would be uniformed because of its emphasis on preventive patrolling. The belief that officers should have only minimal powers was underpinned by the philosophy of “policing by consent.” The idea was that the Metropolitan Police would serve as a prototype for other developing forces throughout the country. In 1835 Parliament passed the Municipal Corporations Act, which allowed large boroughs to establish their ...