If I was asked the question ‘do we need the police on the streets’? Then I would answer yes we do. If I was asked ‘are the police actually doing their jobs properly’? I would answer yes they are. Now this might confuse a few of you, but please bare with me. Firstly, things have got more than a little out of hand and we certainly need peace keepers on the streets, it’s just a shame we don’t have any – but that will come about soon enough. Secondly the police are doing their jobs properly, because they are doing exactly what they were constructed and designed to do - it’s just most of us do not know the history of the police, their conception and their role, so are making completely un-informed opinions – so maybe it’s time to be informed.
A little history of the police and how they came about I feel is needed now, so let’s start with the Bow Street Runners who were founded in 1749/50 by author Henry Fielding….a little issue over the date it seems, not to worry. The Bow Street Runners were very similar to a group called the ‘thief-takers’ or though the thief-takers were unofficial of course…wink wink. The thief-taker would solve petty crime for a fee, a private individual hired to capture anyone accused of a crime. At this time with a rising crime rate and newspapers to bring it to the attention of the public - a bit of de jar vu here, oh well not to worry - thief-takers came about to partially fill the void or in some cases widen it, in bringing those accused of a crime to court - or in their words at the time justice. These were a bit like bounty hunters who were paid by bail bondsmen to catch suspected criminals who had skipped a court appearance and had forfeited (punishment for breach of contract) their bail, whereas thief-takers were generally hired by crime victims. Both thief-takers and bounty hunters also collected bounties offered by the government acting as go betweens negotiating the return of stolen goods for a fee. Most of them were corrupt themselves - no shock there - extorting protection money from the criminals they were supposed to apprehend. Perhaps the most notorious thief-taker was a man called Jonathan Wild who operated in London around the 1720’s, he led a gang of thieves who would arrange for the return of property actually stolen by his own gang. To maintain the belief he was working completely legitimately he would even hand over some members of his gang who would inevitably end up being hung on the ‘Tyburn Tree’ (24 could be hung at once shaped like a triangle at the top) situated where Marble Arch is now. He was hung there himself at Tyburn when this was discovered in 1725...
...FULL ILLUMINATING ARTICLE HERE...
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