It’s the Peelers!

Fri 5 October 2012

It’s the Peelers!

Filed under: #satscene —— Sylvia @ 20:33

On the 29th of September in 1829, the Metropolitan Police Service was founded in London. The Metropolitan Police Service is responsible for Greater London, excluding the City of London.

Prior to this, English law enforcement was carried out by unpaid parish constables. This system didn’t allow for criminal investigations which is why Henry Fielding created the Bow Street Runners in 1753: a detective team of eight constables to investigate crimes. In 1805, the Bow Street Horse Patrol, the first uniformed police, was established. The Marine Police Force was established in 1798, with 220 constables assisted by 1,000 registered dock workers and was specifically responsible for preventing the theft of cargo.

All three of these forces were merged into the Metropolitan Police Service which was conceived by Sir Robert Peel.

History of the Metropolitan Police Service – Wikipedia

Due to public fears concerning the deployment of the military in domestic matters, Robert Peel organised the force along civilian lines, rather than paramilitary. To appear neutral, the uniform was deliberately manufactured in blue, rather than red which was then a military colour, along with the officers being armed only with a wooden truncheon and a rattle to signal the need for assistance. Along with this, police ranks did not include military titles, with the exception of Sergeant

Meanwhile, no laws were broken and the military was only available for posing on the 29th of September in 2012, when these photographs were taken: