Politics, Reform and the Early-Nineteenth-Century Reports on the Committees on the Police of the Metropolis
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X8005300304 |
| Author | Richard J. Terrill |
| Published date | 01 July 1980 |
| Date | 01 July 1980 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
RICHARD
J.
TERRILL
Assistant Professor. Center
for
Studies in Criminal Justice. St.
Cloud State University. Minnesota.
The second
of
Professor Terrill's articles continues his concept
of
the
early history
of
the police service in its broad political context. It
makes an interesting comparison with the approach in Mr. T. A.
Critchley's "History
of
the Police in England
and
Wales 900-1966".
POLITICS, REFORM
AND
THE
EARLY-NINETEENTH-CENTURY
REPORTS
ON
THE
COMMITTEES
ON
THE POLICE
OF THE METROPOLIS
In 1828, E. E. Wilmot, a London barrister, offered his assessment
of why the magistrates of England had failed to control the problem
of crime. He argued that the source of the problem was
"an
indiscriminate adherence to ancient forms and institutions, not as
they were. in their origin, vigorous, and even more than adequate to
their occasion, but as they now are, in their decay, and when they
have become the mere shadows of antiquity."! Such was the case with
the parish constables and watchmen. The industrial revolution, the
rise in population, and the geographical expansion of London had
contributed to their decay. Thus, the purpose of these ancient
institutions - which had been developed over a five-hundred-year
period - was proven ineffective. The accuracy of Wilmot's
observation was not limited, however, to the magistrates or to other
criminal justice agencies. His views were applicable to the
organization and process of the entire English government.
The King
and
His Ministers
Throughout much of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth
centuries, England was ruled by one King, George III (1760-1820).
At twenty-two, George III had succeeded his grandfather,George II.
The young King had been brought up to believe - especially by his
mother, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-thathis grandfatherwas
a helpless prisoner of the Whig politicians, who cared little for the
nation as a whole. This view of the Whigs led to many political
clashes during the King's long reign.?
Police Journal July 1980 240
George III also found it difficult to believe that his regal
inheritance differed in various ways from that of his grandfather.
Yet, it was different. By the I760s, the merchants had become a
seperate political entity - a strong and powerful group, who
controlled so much capital that they had to be reckoned with
politically. Towards the end of his reign, the industrialists would also
form a separate group. Moreover, the ideas of the Enlightenment
were transforming man's perception of himself, his government and
his society.'
Furthermore, George III had not been tutored well in the
art
of
politics. He would frequently appoint men to positions of power who
did not possess strong ties with the leaders in Parliament and even
lacked the skills necessary to manage the government's
administrative and financial interests.
Because of the King's attitude and the changing nature of the time,
the stable and calm world of English politics began to erode with the
accession of George III. With the collapse of Lord North's ministry
in 1782, even the Whigs were divided amongst themselves. Charles
James Fox, a friend of the Prince of Wales (the future George IV),
was the leader of the young Whigs in opposition to the Crown. The
Earl of Shelburne, who was a friend of Jeremy Bentham and
members of the utilitarian movement, led the radical reformist
elements of the party. Edmund Burke was the philosophical leader of
the Rockingham Whigs, who viewed themselves as centralists and
the true representatives of the Whig principles. There was also
William Pitt, who did not lead a Whig faction, but who believed
that
it was his destiny to govern England. Due to the number of political
factions, the governments formed to represent the King's interests
were often unsuitable. This was the case until William Pitt was asked
to form his first government in 1783.
William Pitt and Police Reform
William Pitt was the second son of William Pitt (first Earl of
Chatham), who had dominated English politics from 1742-1760.
When the younger Pitt entered Parliament in 1781, he associated
himself with the political faction of Lord Shelburne.
It
was through
Lord Shelburne that Pitt made the acquaintance of Bentham and the
other philosophical radicals. By this time, Bentham's Fragment on
Government (1776) had been published.
It
was a treatise that
advocated the vigorous application of the scientific method to the
. study and reform of government. The precocious Pitt, who planned
to follow in hisfather's footsteps as a nationalleader, wasundoubtedly
interested in hearing of Bentham's plans for reforming the English
government and society. Although Bentham's
An
Introduction to
the Principles
of
Morals
and
Legislation wascompleted, it had not as
yet been published.' The contents of the treatise, however, were
obviously topics of conversation at Bowood, the Earl's country
estate
that
was frequented by Bentham and Pitt.
241 Police Journal July 1980
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