Evolution of the UK Police Force from 1829 till Present - Coursework Example

THE EVOLUTION OF THE POLICE FORCE: 1829 TO PRESENT Introduction During the beginning years of the 19th century, the Kingdom of England and Wales was governed by the rule of law that had remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, even with the advent of some of the greatest eras in Europe’s history such as the Renaissance. During that period, the law and order situation in England was controlled by the Justices of the Peace, a group of individuals handpicked by the king of England. The Justices of the Peace were assisted by constables and security guards over the course of a few centuries. However, the law and order system began to show signs of strain as England’s population began to rise, which led to a massive increase in the crime rate within the population. The state machinery responsible for maintaining law and order found itself in a difficult position and the seriousness of the situation demanded that dramatic and important changes had to be made in order to improve public security (David R. Evans, Evans, MacMillan, Craig S. MacMillan, 2007). In response to the demanding situation, the City of London was protected by ‘Bow street runners’. The turn of the nineteenth century also witnessed the establishment of the Thames River Police in the year 1800 (Carl B. Klockars, Sanja Kutnjak Ivković, Maria R. Haberfeld, 2003). However, any such establishment did not have the required resources, equipment or manpower to tackle the situation on most occasions and the government was often forced to call in the army in order to deal with problems. In the following years, internal security especially in the city of London hit an all time low and was constantly under threat. The population of London alone stood at 1.5 million inhabitants by 1829. A city of this size was manned by a group of 450 strong constables and 4000 security guards, who guarded the important landmarks in the city. The situation in all other parts of the world was almost similar or even worse where the responsibility of providing safety and protection to the general population remained with the army. These constables additionally had to rely heavily on informers in order to make any significant gains against criminals. Two incidents, namely the Peterloo massacre in 1819 in Manchester and the chartist movement during the years 1838-48 highlighted the constant need for a protective force that was preventive in nature against public disturbances of any kind in addition to maintaining control over civic law and order. The period had witnessed some of the worst cases of theft, armed robbery and homicide, side effects to the advent of the industrial era (John Kleinig, 1996). Role of the Police force The first major improvement towards creating a well defined and well established police force was done in 1829 through the Metropolitan Police Act. The act was made possible through the pioneering work of Robert peel who was convinced that the existing techniques and resources for maintaining the law and order situation were inefficient and incapable of containing any major problems on the street. The passing of the Metropolitan Act resulted in the creating of a police force comprising as many as 3200 men that could cover an area as much as 50 square miles within the Greater London Area. The police force comprised a total of 17 divisions, each of which was consisted of 144 constables under the command of 4 inspectors. The police force soon became popularly known as the ‘Peelers’ or ‘Bobbies’ after its creator, Sir Robert Peel (Peter Neyroud, Alan Beckley, 2001). The initial Metropolitan force was unarmed and was entrusted with the task of thwarting any attacks from criminals in London. With London under the responsibility of a single authority, the Metropolitan force was overseen by the Home Secretary and was based out of Scotland Yard. As mentioned above, the only task of the Metropolitan force was to detect and prevent crimes from taking place. This was supposed to be achieved by the constables through armed patrols and cases handled usually involved burglaries or small street fights. Additionally, the force was entrusted with the task of looking out for any fires across London’s skyline as well as light lamplights out in the streets. The Peelers were not popular from the very outset and were viewed by most as a gross violation of the social and political atmosphere of England. Many were often teased as they went about with their duties in the streets of London. However, the establishment of an organized and collective force did serve the primary purpose of providing preventive security to the city and the rate of crime and violence came down gradually over time. The Chartist movement in the following decade saw the force battling with angry protestors and their organized approached ultimately led them to victory thus establishing the credibility of the Metropolitan force in dealing with such problems. The initial successes prompted the government to extend the force and its duties into the adjoining rural areas, which was achieved in a gradual manner. During Municipal Corporation Act in 1935 ordered the creation of police forces in every incorporated borough and the police achieved national symbolism with the directions of the government in 1856, mandating every province to establish a local police force (Colin Fisher, Alan Lovell, 2006). The Metropolitan police act has thus served as the foundation for the modern principles of policing and has been adopted worldwide. The idea of street patrolling by armed personnel constituted its basic tenet aimed at identifying any problems on the street and taking the appropriate action to quell any brewing trouble. Additionally, the command and control system of the police force was formalized and brought within a centralized structure that clearly defined the flow of command. Preventing crime was outlined as the primary objective of the Metropolitan Force. A member of the Police for was trained to be calm, impartial and professional in dealing with situations and derived authority from the Crown, the code of law and the consent of the Citizenry. Responsibilities Over the years, as the crime rate in London began to decline, it was felt that the adjoining areas required similar attention. It was analyzed that crime rates were higher where there was no police presence and several un-policed areas such as Wandsworth became notorious for criminal offences. The Municipal Corporation Act helped sort out boroughs into an appropriate structure and allowed for more policing although it took a while to get all boroughs together. By 1848, only 22 out of the 171 boroughs remained without a Police force, which goes to show the rate at which goes to the rising popularity among Boroughs to establish them (Peter Villiers, 1997). Similar police forces were established all over the world especially in the United States, Canada and Australia in addition to Lebanon. Over the years, as the experience of the Police force grew, its range of responsibilities began to encompass newer areas the required attention. For instance, the police found that it required to carry out investigative and detective work, which began with the establishment of a detective department within the Metropolitan Force in 1842. It is now known as the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in the UK and comprises as much as a fifth of the total workforce. In contrast to the regular uniformed constables, detectives have been required to wear a business attire and aim to conceal their identity as required in an effort to prevent distortion from the scene of investigation. ‘Plainclothes, as these detectives are sometimes referred to have been instrumental in solving cases related to theft and murder. One of the major difference between regular policemen and detectives has been that the latter assist in cases where the offence have been committed, wherein the situation calls for the investigating entities to blend in to uncover the hidden facts surrounding the crime. As such, towards the end of the nineteenth century, the police force was evolving from a crime eliminating entity to a crime solving entity (Peter Villiers, Robert Adlam, 2004). The number of cases that were being investigated by the Police force over the years had grown to such an extent that the Police forces across the world were recognizing the need to document every case. This resulted in the establishment of police archives such as the National Criminal Record, set up in 1869, which helped the police to compare new cases with instances investigated earlier apart from help share information among agencies (Roger Billingsley, Teresa Nemitz, Philip Bean, 2001). The 1870s saw Europe and America thrive on the introduction of telegraph communications, which increased the efficiency of the police force as it enabled units scattered across a distance to share information in no time thus helping in nabbing fleeing criminals as well as prevent several mass protests from taking place. Apart from maintaining law and order, the police force was also responsible for providing public services. The turn of the twentieth century is often attributed as the motor age, which witnessed the invention of the motor engine. Traffic on the roads has increased to such levels over the years that one cannot imagine the situation without the presence of a traffic cop or traffic signals. Police also deal with civil crimes that are non violent in nature, but involves fraud and corruption. In such cases, the role of the police is aimed at collecting evidence in the form of documents and witnesses in order to build a case against the suspects thereby securing the relevant conviction. This symbolizes the gradual expansion of the roles of a police force to several other areas, many of which have been a result of innovations experiences in the preceding century. A Police force is often required by central security and other agencies to provide immediate and rapid assistance. This is evident in numerous situations such as a raging fire in a locality or a hostage situation. In such cases, the police department takes the appropriate action depending upon the seriousness of the situation. While criminal situations such as a terrorist or hostage situation requires an armed response, disasters and natural calamities call upon the police force to provide immediate humanitarian assistance. (Edward Porritt, 2001) The police has thus emerged over the past two centuries into a force that provides and support and relief during an hour of crisis as can be witnessed in the case of the case of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which saw the entire New Orleans Police department swing into action in order to tackle the situation by evacuating citizens beforehand, finding for stranded people, providing relief material such as food and medicine and escorting the wounded to hospitals and safer ground. Thus, the role of a police force has transformed from a criminal perspective to a human dimension that focuses on saving lives and helping the needy with all that they require. We live in a world of terrorism that has threatened peace and stability in almost every part of the world. With an easy availability of weapons especially in western countries such as the United States, violent incidents of all sorts have been on the rise. In order to tackle with such situations, police units have developed themselves along two fronts. On one hand, the primary emphasis of the police is to minimize the loss to life and property. To do this, special units are prepared and trained to be able to negotiate with criminals especially in hostage situations. However, it is necessary for police forces to respond in a violent manner whenever the situation demands a deviation from restraint. To respond to such issues, the police force raises specially trained quasi military units that are trained to handle heavy firearms. The use of such forces is opted only in cases where particularly violent situation get past the control of a regular police officer or negotiator. Democracy has been at the forefront over the past 150 years and a major part of the world today is under the governance of democratic governments elected by the people. The freedom of right to expression is one of the principal provisions under democracy, which is used by citizens to express and demonstrate. In many situations, this right is often misused and mass demonstrations against governmental policies or a prevailing situation have often turned violent, with protestors often clashing with each other. Many a times, protestors have often vented their anger at the police attempting to ensure that the protests are conducted in a peaceful nature. Communal clashes and riots are not uncommon to most of us and continue to be one of the issues faced by modern police forces. In order to contain such incidents from spreading and spilling over to other places, the police forces have developed several tactics and approaches that involve the removal of bystanders from troubled places using non-lethal yet effective solutions such as chemical agents and water cannons to disperse the violent crowds. This provides evidence of the continuing role of the police force in preventing acts of crime and violence, which continues to be one of the basic tenets of a modern police force (Francis Michael Longstreth Thompson, 1993). The discussion so far has worked towards providing the basic overview of the extent to which the police provides a sense of regulation over several fronts in our daily lives. Without the presence of a police force, it is hard to imagine walking safely on the streets without getting robbed or assaulted upon. As human beings, we are prone to anger and distrust amongst each other and there are several situations when people feel infuriated as the outcome of an event. The situation is further volatile with the presence of a large immigrant population in the UK, which would have resulted in deadly clashes had there been no local police force that works hard to contain any display of racial hatred. The decent sense of organization in the British society is certainly due to the presence of a local police force, which reminds of constantly and in an unassuming manner of the protocols according to which one is supposed to conduct himself in the society and restrict themselves within the purviews of the legal framework of the land (Louis A. Knafla, 2002). Conclusion The police force has come to encompass every civic and public function that a working society requires. Police provide protection during election when it is ensured that people are allowed to vote with a sense of free will. Apart from providing security to prominent people, police also plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of citizens and makes way to resolve any kind of disputes. The social perspective of the police force has further broadened with the fact that there are now special departments in the police force that provide and look into the aspects concerning animal welfare. The police force thus recognizes the importance to provide regulation to every single element of the society where mere volunteered regulation cannot work to the expected efficiency (Colin Fisher, Alan Lovell, 2006). One of the reasons for such an important place for the police in modern society arises due to the perceived acceptance among people that anything policed means that things have to work as required and expected and that any deviation known to cause harm or break any laws will be dealt with aptly by the police and the acting laws. This sense of realization is one of the main reasons why society over the ages has recognized the need for the services of the police force to newer domains and any move in this regard has only resulted in a firm establishment of the police force as the proper and suitable entity that can deal with the requirements of the situation. The true social nature of the police force is further substantiated as it has always felt the need to self regulate and realizes that elements within the force itself may not always work as expected. In order to contain any of its officers from misusing the system, laws governing the conduct and extent to which they can operate are precisely defined and duly followed. Any discrepancies in this regard on the part of any officer within the police force have always been dealt with in the most severe manner in an effort to set the record straight and get the message across within the entire force. Thus, the increasing social notion of the police force not only arises from the various roles played by it in serving citizens in different capacities, but also by the manner in which it conducts itself in the course of discharging its responsibilities. Thus, it can be said with an assertion of certainty that the Police force has truly grown to adorn a greater social function and the coming decades will witness a broader extension of its responsibilities. References 1. John Kleinig (1996), The ethics of policing. Cambridge University Press. 2. Carl B. Klockars, Sanja Kutnjak Ivković, Maria R. Haberfeld (2003), The contours of police integrity. London: Sage. 3. David R. Evans, Evans, MacMillan, Craig S. MacMillan (2007), Ethical Issues in Law Enforcement. New York: Emond Montgomery. 4. Peter Neyroud, Alan Beckley (2001), Policing, ethics and human rights. London: Willan. 5. Colin Fisher, Alan Lovell (2006), Business ethics and values: individual, corporate and international perspectives. New York: Pearson. 6. Peter Villiers (1997), Better Police Ethics: A Practical Guide. Boston: Kogan. 7. Roger Billingsley, Teresa Nemitz, Philip Bean (2001), Informers: Policing, Policy, Practice. London: Willan. 8. Peter Villiers, Robert Adlam (2004), Policing a safe, just and tolerant society: an international model. London: Waterside. 9. Edward Porritt (2001), The Englishman at Home: His Responsibilities and Privileges. University of Michigan. 10. Francis Michael Longstreth Thompson (1993), The Cambridge Social History of Britain 1750-1950: Social agencies and institutions. Cambridge University Press. 11. Louis A. Knafla (2002), Policing and war in Europe. New York: Greenwood. Read More