Metropolitan Police Act 1829
Long title | An Act for improving the Police in and near the Metropolis. |
---|---|
Introduced by | Robert Peel |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 19 June 1829 |
Status: Amended | |
Revised text of statute as amended |
The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 (10 Geo.4, c.44) was an Act of Parliament introduced by Sir Robert Peel. The Act established the Metropolitan Police of London (with the exception of the City), replacing the previously disorganized system of parish constables and watchmen. The Act was the enabling legislation for what is often considered to be the first modern police force, the "bobbies" or "peelers" (after Peel), which served as the model for modern urban police departments throughout Britain. Until the 1829 Act, the Statute of Winchester of 1285 was cited as the primary legislation regulating the policing of the country since the Norman Conquest.[1]
It is one of the Metropolitan Police Acts 1829 to 1895.[2]
See also
- History of law enforcement in the United Kingdom
- History of the Metropolitan Police
- Peelian principles
References
- ^ Critchley, Thomas Alan (1978). A History of Police in England and Wales.
The Statute of Winchester was the only general public measure of any consequence enacted to regulate the policing of the country between the Norman Conquest and the Metropolitan Police Act, 1829…
- ^ The Short Titles Act 1896, section 2(1) and Schedule 2
Further reading
- Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in England, 1750–1900 (2018)
- Gash, Norman. Mr. Secretary Peel (1962) 1:477-507
- Harrison, Arch. "The English Police 1829-1856: Consensus or Conflict" International Journal of Police Science & Management 2 (1999): 175+
- Lyman, J. L. "The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829: An Analysis of Certain Events Influencing the Passage and Character of the Metropolitan Police Act in England," Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science (1964) 55#1 pp. 141–154 in JSTOR
External links
- Inspector Denning - Victorian Police in Westminster - UK Parliament Living Heritage
- Metropolitan Police Act 1829 on the UK Parliament website
- Text of the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
- Metropolitan Police; Time Line 1829 - 1849
- learnhistory.org.uk Crime, Punishment and Protest Through Time, c.1450-2004