The Detective Department was recognized and in 1878 the CID was set up, this stands for Criminal Intelligence Department. This led to considerable improvements.
Detective methods developed slowly. In the early part of the nineteenth century, the police had learnt the value of footprints, also dealing with a murder case, the body must not be moved, nor anything about it or in the room or place interfered with, and the public must be excluded. A standard method in detective work was to follow suspicious characters, similar as the methods used by the bobbies.
1884 forensics was being introduced; it was discovered by Alphonse Bertillon. His methods of identification was measuring parts of the human body, hoping no two individuals would be exactly the same.
Fingerprinting was discovered in 1901, it solved many crimes and the first conviction using fingerprints was in June 1902. The first police photographer was appointed in 1901, this was a break through because it meant they would take pictures for evidence and information could be seen without having to be there, so they could look more closely for longer.
Throughout the country police constables received very little training in the late nineteenth century, before they went out on the beat, most time was spent learning military drill. Great emphasis was put on personal appearance and good behaviour, so some forces insisted that the police wore their uniform at all times, even off duty. Required them to attend church on Sundays and not be seen with women. Most forces constables learnt their ‘trade on the job’ and working hours were very long.
Despite the police forces improvements and good reputation, in 1880s the reputation of the police forces in Britain was hit very hard by a number of serious incidents. They were: in the 1884 the police baton-charged a parade of Orangemen in Cumberland, and in 1885 the Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Birmingham police charged an election in Nottingham, the report on incident stated that: ‘The police disobeyed instructions as to the use of truncheons and behaved intemperately.’
Demands in the House of Commons for inquiries into police actions, they were now seen as favoring the middle and upper classes against the poor and working classes.
In 1885, they showed that the strength of the Metropolitan Police Force was 13,319 men, while the population of London at the time was 5,255,069. However, shockingly 13,319 of the men, only 1,383 officers were available for beat duty at any time.
Crime and Punishment.
In the nineteenth century crime was a major problem. 75% of recorded crimes were minor crimes such as theft, only 10% of crimes involved violence. Murders were rare, but usually if there was a murder, the murderer and the victim would know each other.
1750-1810 crimes gradually increased, 1810-20 crimes rapidly increased. This may be because the end of the French wars led to increased poverty and unemployment, increased crime, and many protests against rising food prices and unemployment. Crimes started to fall from 1850-1900; this was because people feared crime, particularly among the ruling classes and middle classes. In the early centuries the government responded to rising crime and increased fear of crime by making punishment even more savage.
Most of the criminals were men in fact 75% was men and mostly in their teens and twenties.
In 1806 Sir Samuel Romilly entered Parliament. Romilly stopped people being executed for small crimes like pick- pocketing.
- 1829-1830s – abolition of nearly all capital crimes.
- 1841- Only murder and treason remained as capital crimes.
- 1868- Last public hanging took place.
The Bloody Code was abolished largely through the reforms of Sir Robert Peel. However it was not enough to say he caused this big change on his own.
It was thought that punishment for some crimes, like pick-pocketing, and did not fit the crime, were too strict and needed to be changed. Severe punishment was meant to frighten people, so they wouldn’t commit crimes, but it didn’t work. While executions were going on, the crowds laughed and drank. During the 1700s the crowds at executions grew larger; this was partly because newspapers published them more widely. Some factories closed on execution days. Going to execution seemed to be such a big event. Early 1700s only 40% of those convicted of capital crimes were hanged. 1800s with increased crime rate this had fallen to 10%. Juries became increasingly unwilling to convict people of minor capital crime. It was thought to be unfair and out of proportion to the crime. If a man who has pick-pocketed a 13pence handkerchief the punishment is the same as someone who had murdered a whole family. This would be execution.
In 1767 a book was published in England, and was saying how punishments do not stop crime, and wasn’t scaring people (like hanging) into not commiting crimes. It also said how they needed punishments that fit the crimes, and that instead of relying on the death penalty, criminals should be imprisoned and do hard labour that is visible to the public.
Transportation had emerged as the best idea, instead of capital punishment. Transportation had already been around for 100 years to America, but the government could no longer transport convicts to America because ther colonies had won their independence. They needed somewhere else, they considered the west Indian islands, and the lastly considered Australia, discovered by James Cook.
The first transportation to Australia was in may 1787.
Why did the government introduce transportation to Australia?
- An alternative was needed- hanging.
- Australia was unknown, government hoped that people would be too scared to commit crime it being an unknown place.
- Would reduce crime in Britain by completely removing the criminals.
- Would help Britain to claim Australia as part of their empire.
- Criminals would work, learn skills which would be useful when freed.
80% of convicts sent to Australia were thieves and only 3% had been convicted of violent crimes.
You could get an early release for good behaviour and would receive a ‘ticket of leave.’ (Early release) It meant the prisoners would be motivated and behave. Reform had been the least important reason behind the development of transportation but it worked. Convicts released were more likely to lead law-abiding lives.
But bad behaviour, however, meant they were flogged or sent to distant settlements where treatment was harsh.
In the 1800s prisons changed a lot. In the 1700s prisons were run by towns and countries with no rules about their organisation. John Howard wrote a book ‘state of the prisons in England and Wales today.’ It showed how dangerous prisons were. Conditions were so bad that many criminals died of disease. Reformers such as Howard wanted significant changes in prisons, such as:
- Running water.
- Clean and hygienic conditions.
- Each prison to have a docter.
- Prisons to provide the same foods for all prisoners instead of allowing prisoners to buy food.
- The end of fees paid to gaolers.
- Regular visits to prisoners from churchmen.
- Prisoners should work hard.
In 1817 elizabeth Fry formed the Association for the Improvement of Female Prisoners in Newgate. These changes were made at Newgate and were later introduced in other prisons:
- Rules for women to obey
- Female warders
- Regular work for women
She made other changes to in 1822 it was compulsory to have women warders in women’s prisons.
In conclusion, in the nineteenth century I have realized that crime rates were much higher because there were only two police forces. The Metropolitan Police Force had a huge affect on stopping crime; it was the reason for policing preventions and discoveries. The police force in the nineteenth century was discovering many ways to prevent crime. They were dealing more with trying to prevent crime that solving it. There was a rise in theft and a fall in street crimes, punishments were becoming fairer and were fitting with the crime. The second half of the nineteenth century a lot of work was done on what to do with punishments, safer prisons and equal punishments were made.
Street crime was being prevented by taking criminals of the streets to stop them committing more crimes.