NCJ Number
99179
Date Published
1984
Length
217 pages
Annotation
This book describes and interprets the creation of English police forces as part of local government between 1856 and 1880, including the process involved in making working-class men police officers.
Abstract
Part 1 reviews the legislation that mandated the formation and responsibilities of provincial police forces. It points out that police responsibilities were molded by contemporary events as much as by legislation, with police action during the Murphy Riots of the late 1860's singled out as an important example of this process. It also considers other factors that influenced policing: provincial theories of finance and community control, contrasts between rural and urban social relations, and local police work that helped form distinctly modern police forces. Historical descriptions also show how provincial watch committees and rural magistracies developed from 1856 to 1880. Part 2, focusing on the process by which working-class men became representatives of local authority, describes the making of a county police force, the police selection process, the characteristics of a police officer's life, and the campaign for police pension rights. The discussion emphasizes the dependence of the 19th-century constable on the police division chain of command. Chapter notes and approximately 200 bibliographic listings and sources are provided.