Describe Law and Order in the late 19th Century

The first 200 words of this essay...

Describe Law and Order in the late 19th Century

Law and order began to improve in the late 19th Century after the CID was set up and that Polices Forces were springing up around Britain. In the 1880's, police forces in Britain were very much in their infancy. Almost all of the methods of tackling and solving crimes that we now take for granted were unknown. Police work was mostly concerned with the prevention of crime by officers on the beat. But even very regular patrols did not stop a determined criminal.

The police forces had to deal with a range of crime and disorder ranging from petty theft to major public disturbances. The main duties of the Metropolitan Police Force were to deal with drunkenness, beggars, vagrants and prostitutes. The force also had to deal with major disturbances, and soon got the reputation for heavy handedness and violence, for example: in February 1886 the Metropolitan Police Force had to deal with a mass demonstration of Unemployed in Trafalgar Square, however this was not the most serious incident to occur. On Sunday 13 November 1887 the Metropolitan Police Force charged a demonstration by the Metropolitan Radical Federation.