3.Enforcing Law And Order Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is a hue and cry ?
Raising the alarm by shouting out when a crime has been committed
How did medieval policing work ?
-community action
-adult men grouped in tens called tithings, if one broke the law others would have to take them to court
-if victim raised hue and cry community expected to help catch criminal
-two chief constables were appointed each year to supervise law and order in the area
-parish constable had to make sure village responded to crime properly alongside full time work
What was the job of the justices of the peace (JPs) ?
-oversee and organise local parish constables and watchmen
-monitor and control beggars and vagrants
-enforce government orders and punish those who disobeyed
-parish constables and watchmen assisted them
What were the parish constables ?
-appointed by the JPs
-unpaid job for a year alongside actual job
-catch and arrest those who broke the law
-constables could call on people to give them assistance
What did watchmen do ?
-patrolled towns at night
-power to challenge strangers and arrest criminals
-not paid but all men in town expected to volunteer for this
-no uniform
-carried a bell, lantern and weapon for protection
By the 17th century why was method of unpaid locals ineffective ?
-population of London growing so quickly
-in 1663 Charles 2 passed an act creating a force of paid watchmen to control streets of growing city- known as Charlie’s
-pay was low
-became objects of ridicule
-first law officers paid for by public money
Who were thief takers ?
People who made money from collecting the rewards offered for the return of stolen goods
Who were the bow street runners ?
Part time paid constables who worked for the bow street magistrates court
Who were two powerful thief takers who operated in the early 18th century ?
Charles Hitchen- used his position as under city marshal for London to police the streets of central London, arresting sex workers, vagrants. He abused his position and demanded bribes from brothels and pick pockets to prevent arrests. He was arrested in 1727 and died in prison that year
Johnathon Wild- acquired the name ‘thief taker general of Great Britain and Ireland’. Originally worked under hitchen but later set up his own network of criminals, employing them to steel goods, arresting the culprit and returning the stolen goods to the original owners for a reward. Arrested in 1725 and was hanged at tyburn
What were the experiments like with private police forces ?
-second half of 18th century
-to reduce crime several JPs experimented by setting up private police forces
-most successful was two brothers, Henry and john fielding created small force of paid officers known as Bow Street Runners
-proved effective in tackling crime in their area of London
What were the reasons for opposition to a formal police force ?
-industrial towns were beginning to have a new system of policing that was run by the government
-some believed a national police force would=
-limit individual freedom and liberty if the government interfered
-give the police too much power which they could use to limit rights of individuals
-expensive and cause taxes to rise
What were the reasons for the change in public opinion on professional police forces ?
-mid 19th century professional police forces had been set up starting with metropolitan police force in 1829
-fear of revolution- first half of 19th century had lots of protests and riots which forced the government to put down these abuses of law and order
-increased crime and fear of crime
-inadequacies during the existing system- JPs, watchmen and constables were unable to deal with the rise of crime in the rapidly expanding industrial towns and cities
-increasing government involvement- Victorian government became increasingly involved with changing and reforming Britain
As the benefits of having an organised police force came to be appreciated the reputation police improved. By end of 19th century wales had 46,800 policemen and 243 separated forces
What was the changing nature of policing like in the modern era ?
-the number of police forces- 1900=200 separate, 2000= 43 helped to spread resources and be more cost effective
-the police and the community- community policing was given a boost introducing neighbourhood watch scheme in 1982, organising groups of locals to prevent crime in their neighbourhood
-women in the police force- first used in police force during ww1, first women constables appointed in 1919 from 1946 women police officers did not have to resign if they got married, from 1973 women were permitted to become detectives
-police training- in 1900 police pay was the same as a skilled manual worker, pay rises now attract a wider range of applicants to courses in specialist colleges like the national police training college set up in 1947
Whats genetic fingerprinting ?
The method of matching DNA samples found at a crime scene with a suspect
What was the development in forensic scientists ?
-fingerprinting- following first use in 1901, the national automatic fingerprint identification system was set up in 1995
-forensic scientists- SOCOs attend crime scenes to examine and gather forensic evidence like hair and skin and blood
-DNA and genetic fingerprinting- since the 1980s police have increasingly depended on DNA and genetic finger printing to help solve crimes and investigate past unsolved ones, DNA national database was established in 1995
What are attitudes towards police like in modern era ?
-most people have confidence in the police but this has wavered due to factors like
-police have to enforce unpopular laws like motoring offences
-some people see them as too powerful to intrusive
-some accuse them on ‘picking’ on certain section of society like young ethnic minorities or young people
-few policemen have shown to be corrupt, dishonest or incompetent
