Methods of Combatting Crime Flashcards
What was each tithing led by?
A tithingman
How was crime combatted in the medieval times?
Via communal methods.
E.g tithings, hue and cry
Role of the JP in the Tudor age
organised road and bridge repairs
gave ale houses licences
supervised poor relief
acted as magistrates
arrested and interrogated suspects
organised the Constables and Watchmen
How effective were JPs in the Tudor age?
Whislt they were unpaid, it likely did not reduce their effectiveness as most JPs were rich landowners who did the job for presitige rather than financial reward.
What powers did JPs gain in 1554?
They could arrest a suspect and interrogate them for 3 days.
This made them more effective
Why did the JPs workload increase?
Due to rise in vagrancy
Role of the Constable
Keep order in ale houses
Keep peace in the parish
Arrest criminals
Carry out punishments e.g whipping vagabonds
How effective were Constables?
The Petty Constable’s job was unpaid and done in addition to a person’s usual day job. This made some people reluctant to work hard.
Most Constables were tradesmen or farmers in the local area, they had limited standing in the local community
What was the presence of Watchmen aimed to do?
Their presence was meant to be a deterrent to criminals.
How effective were Watchmen?
Watchmen were paid little for their job, and therefore many were reluctant to put in a lot of effort.
Many were found asleep in pubs and many of them were old people, making them less effective.
Charlies became objects of fun, and children would attempt to bait them
What were Watchmen known as after 1663?
Charleys
…becuase Charles II set up a force of paid watchmen
Why were the Bow Street Runners effective?
They had training, equipment, pay and worked full-time
What were the Bow Street Runners provided with?
Handcuffs
A pistol
Beating stick
How were the Bow Street Runners paid?
They were paid a guinea (A coin worth one pound and one shilling) a week to catch criminals, and also received rewards from each successful conviction.
What did John Fielding publish?
He published a newspaper named ‘The Quarterly Pursuit’.
These newspapers publicised information on stolen property and crimes.
What limited the work of the Bow Street Runners?
It was only established in London- in other areas the old system of JPs and Constables remained.
Why were people opposed to a state run police force in the 19th century?
They believed it would threaten freedom, this was seen in other European countries at the time.
Increase in Tax to fund the police force
How many men were in the MET Police by 1882?
11,700
‘Walking the beat’
Constables in the 19th century were given a set area to patrol on foot
Why did people in poorer working class areas resent new police forces?
Increased taxation
When did the MET Police set up a plain clothes detective department?
1842
What was the plain clothes detectives department role?
To investigate crime undercover
Terrorism
The use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.
How effective was the police force in the 19th century?
VERY EFFECTIVE
The whole country now had a full-time, paid, trained, uniformed police force.
The increasing specialisation and use of technology was making the police more effective at catching criminals and preventing crime.
When did female police officers gain equal status to men?
1973
What percent of the police force was women in 2015?
30%
How did methods of the police change in the 1970s?
Due to new technology of cars, less police officers were ‘walking the beat’.
More rapid respone teams.
When were helicopters introduced in to the police force and how did this help the police?
1980’s
As they were equipped with searchlights, infra-red cameras and video recorders it would make it harder for criminals to escape
When was the 999 system established?
1937
What is in the centralised National Computer Record?
Fingerprints
DNA Records
Vehicle details
Info about missing people
When was fingerprint technology established and how did this help to combat crime?
late 19th centure
This allowed police to build up a nation database record.
This helped to identify suspects
Why did the image of the police deteriorate in the 1980s?
Racism after riots
Community Support Officers
Officers on the beat or on bicycles have returned to reassure the public
Modern era
How effective is modern day police?
Very effective
Every year the Police Forces publishes a report on how effective each force was- then they are given targets to improve
Who published The Public Hue and Cry newspaper?
John Fielding
Which specialist unit was set up in 1878?
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was set up in 1878, and they are plain-clothes police officers.
When were women allowed to join the police force?
1919
Who were Thief Takers and what did they do?
Acted as unofficial policemen in towns and cities
Captured criminals and claimed the reward, or charged a fee for the return of stolen goods
Why were Thief Takers critisied?
They were often corrupt and would fence the items they stole in a crime network of planned thefts
Who introduced the idea of preventative and professional policing?
The Bow Street Runners
What did the 21’st century see a return in?
Saw a return of community policing somewhat similar to those of the medieval era
e.g Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
