Describe late 19th Century Law and Order

Amie Derricott Mr Roberts

Candidate number: 0231 “Jack the ripper”

Thick green smog hung in the air and filth ran in the streets. 19th century London was not a nice place to live. Crime was on the up with burglaries, drunkenness and assault being just some of the crimes committed. Women got a rough deal. There was no work available to them so many women turned to prostitution and alcoholism. Surprisingly enough, however, the percentages of violent deaths was very low, with around 15 murders, and 50 cases of manslaughter a year.

The London police force has been active since 1829, when uniformed officers patrolled the streets. Named after their founder, Sir Robert Peel, “bobbies” tried to keep order in the streets of London. They carried 15” truncheons and whistles. They were not welcomed to the streets of London as the people saw them as very “un-English.” Assaults on the police were not uncommon. In 1882, 3581 people were arrested for assaulting an officer. When Sir Charles Warren became commissioner of the police force in 1885, the policemen were issued with a uniform of a helmet and a dark blue tunic, making them stand out further. Before this, in 1842, a small detective force of un-uniformed officers, called the criminal investigation department was set up.

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As industrialisation and urbanisation in 19th century England increased, the crime levels rose, and posed new kinds of crimes. Because of the serious levels of crime, by 1876, the police had a record of 180,000 criminals. They were being released before they had been tried due to a system called “the ticket of leave system.” Many of these criminals probably returned to the streets to commit further burglaries and muggings. Violent muggings were not uncommon. Gangs of three men would wait for their victims before stunning them and half strangling them. This form of attack is known as garrotting. In the area of Whitechapel, prostitutes were frequently mugged for their night’s earnings this way. Larceny was also widespread. Criminals would frequently break into people’s houses and steal their belongings, resulting in many people having locks fitted on their doors. Many people were also pick pocketed, mainly due to the crowded and busy streets, and coupled with the fact that many people were unsuspecting; the poor had many victims to choose from and find what they could.

Demonstrations also required a lot of policing. Two of the most famously violent protests were “black Monday” (8th February 1866) and “bloody Sunday.” (13th November 1866). “Bloody Sunday” happened when the (SDF) organised a meeting for 13th February, 1887 in Trafalgar Square to protest against the policies of the headed by the . The government decided to ban the meeting and the police were given the orders to stop the marchers entering Trafalgar Square. The SDF decided to continue with their planned meeting and as a result the marchers were attacked by the police. Three people died and over 200 were injured. “Black Monday” happened on Monday 8 February when two rival organisations, the London United Workmen's Committee and H.F. Hyndman's revolutionary Social Democratic Federation, gave notice of their intention to hold meetings in the square on the same day. Although it was recognised that they might clash violently, there had been no grave public order problems in London since the Hyde Park Riot in 1866. The meetings passed off without incident, but when the speakers had left the square a crowd of 5000 streamed west along Pall Mall and resumed a more fiery meeting in Hyde Park. People rushed along Pall Mall smashing windows as they went. Only one man was killed in the riot.

A high percentage of crime in London was mainly due to the incompetence of the police force. They were distrusted by the general public and were seen as un-English. This is very apparent in the fact it took nearly thirty years for the government to be persuaded to provide every town and city in the UK with their own police force. Crime was also abundant due to the murky conditions of the streets. Perpetrators could easily slip away into the fog without risk of ever being caught and it was very difficult for victims of crime to ever identify the criminal.

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