Describe law and order in the late 19th century.

... Whitechapel coursework Describe law and order in the late 19th century. The idea of the police force was invented in the nineteenth century. In 1800 there were two police forces in Britain. The first one is the bow street runners, which had been invented in 1749, the other was the Thames River police, which was just two years old. Then the Metropolitan Police force was set up in 1829. This still exists today. This police force was created to carry out the functions of both the watchmen and the special constables. They were to patrol the streets in order to keep order and deter crime. They were also used to tackle major disturbances such as riots. They were used to stop disorderly behaviour. They had to deal with drunkenness, beggars, vagrants and prostitutes. They were 'not meant to solve crime'; there concentration was to prevent crime. Detective work was in its infancy

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