Explore further with these author curated useful sites.

The Metropolitan Police website contains useful resources relating to the development of the modern police service, including a timeline of key developments from 1829 to the present day.

An article by Chris Williams (‘Britain's Police Forces: Forever Removed from Democratic Control?’) examines tension between the principles of local control and the direction of the police service by central government. Williams argues that contemporary debates about central and local direction, considered at greater length in Chapter 4, can be traced back to the 19th century. His article is available at the History and Policy website.

James Sharpe examines the history of crime in the centuries before the establishment of the ‘new police’ and the apparent decreasing effectiveness of the ‘old police’ to respond to emerging challenges. More information on this can be found in his paper, The History of Crime in England, 1550-1914.

An institutional log-in is required to access The British Policeman, a 1959 public information film that follows a Leicester-based policeman on his beat. The film is accompanied by archive documents on the making of the film.

A useful resource is History of the British Police, a 90-minute documentary charting the development of the British police from Robert Peel to today.