METROPOLITAN POLICE FORCE WHAT EQUIPMENT DID WE CARRY, AND WHAT DID WE DO? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHEN WERE WE SET UP, WHAT WERE WE PAID, HOW MANY WERE WE? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REASON FOR THE CREATION OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE. (C) HOW DID THIS REASON LEAD TO THE CREATION OF THE POLICE? (C-B)

In the early nineteenth century, the government was becoming much more involved in the lives of the British people, especially taxing the British people to raise money for efforts such as going to war. Local governments were also able to raise more taxes to pay for things in their area such as a police force. At the end of the eighteenth century the working classes in France had risen up and killed those in charge, setting up their own government. The government in Britain was scared that a similar revolution might take place in Britain too. In the years after 1815 there were many angry protests about the rising price of food and high unemployment. Whilst the Bow Street Runners were effective in their own area they did not cover most of London. The city needed a crime fighting body that could police the whole city rather than just one area of it.

There was a widespread belief that crime, especially violent crime was increasing in the cities. Some people believed that it was out of control. The crime rate had actually risen quite sharply in the years leading up to the creation of the Metropolitan Police Force. The rapid growth of cities such as London had made the old system of constables and watchmen inadequate. There were simply, too many people crammed into tightly packed houses and streets making it impossible to police the old fashioned way. In one area of London alone, there were more than 18 different groups trying to prevent crime in that area. Unfortunately, these groups did not communicate with each other or with those in different areas so many were chasing criminals out of their patch, straight into another.