Enforcing Law and Order Flashcards
Tithings
Adult men were put in to groups of 10, If one member of the 10 broke the law it was the responsibility of the others to catch the culprit and take him to court
How many men were in one Tithing?
10
When were tithings used?
Medieval Era
Hue and Cry
Calling on fellow villagers to chase the criminal. If villagers failed to join then the village could be fined.
When was hue and cry used?
Medieval Era
How did trials before 1500 operate?
Royal Judges would travel around the country to deal with serious cases.
County courts were established (JP’s)
Each village or manor had a manor court, held by a local lord or landowner for minor cases
Roles of policing for the Parish Constable
Keep order in inns and ale houses.
Keep the peace in the parish.
Send illegitimate children back to their original parish.
Arrest people who have committed crimes.
Prevent crimes such as trespassing and poaching.
Carry out punishments such as whipping vagabonds.
Look out for vagabonds.
What did Watchmen do?
They patrolled the streets of the largest towns on a nightly basis.
They did not have a uniform but were identifiable by their heavy coat, lantern and bell.
What did Henry Fielding set up?
Bow Street Runners
What did the Bow Street Runners do?
Paid constables who patrolled London
At first these men were paid from a government grant, but they also got rewards from catching suspects in the same was as Thief Takers.
How many Bow Street Runners were there by 1800?
68
Why did Henry Fielding set up the Bow Street Runners?
He wrote a report which stated that London’s crime rate was due to people expecting an easy life and resorting to crime rather than work, corruption in the Government and the ineffective policing systems.
Why was there a great opposition to the Bow Street Runners?
-People disliked the inevitable cost of a police force
-People disliked the idea of rising taxes
-Concern that freedoms would be lost and privacy would be invaded
Who created the Metropolitan Police?
Sir Robert Peel
1829 Metropolitan Police Act
Established the Metropolitan Police in central London.
When was the London Met Police established?
1829
How many men were in the Met Police by 1882?
11,700 men
What 4 powers were given to police?
Arrest
Search
Detention
Fines
How many police forces were there in 1900 across Britain?
181
Number of Police Officers by 2000
125,000 officers
What was the purpose of policing at first?
Patrol the streets
Deter criminals
Investigate crimes
Arrest suspects
What is the role of policing now?
To prevent crimes by visiting schools and community meetings
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
Patrol the streets
Deter criminals
Investigate crimes
Arrest suspects
When did the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme begin?
1982
What were quarter sessions?
Quarter sessions were courts that would hear serious cases. They were held every three months. (MEDIEVAL ERA)
In the medieval period, what was the name given to the call for help to catch a criminal?
Hue and Cry
Who appointed the petty constable?
The Justice of the Peace appointed the petty constable
Who wrote ‘An Enquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers and Related Writings’?
Henry Fielding
It was a report about the rise in crime in London.
When was the first Metropolitan Police Act?
1829
How many police forces were there in England and Wales in 2021?
43
When was the first police training college set up?
1947
Court system in the medieval era
Manorial, church and royal court
Manor courts in the medieval era
Judges petty crime in the local area
e.g land disputes
Church court in the medieval era
For churchmen who had committed a crime
e.g adultery or drunkenness
This court was more lenient and never issued the death penalty
Royal court in the medieval era
Heard the most serious cases
Royal judges visited each county 2 times a year to try cases.
These were called assizes and lasted until 1971
How many JP’S were there in each county?
30-60
Who were JP’s replaced by in the industrial era
Police
Rural Police Act 1839
established police
forces in the countryside.
