Rare and important: the first handbook printed for the police force governed by London’s Court of Aldermen, 5 years before the Metropolitan Police Act that formed the Scotland Yard.
In addition to the Bow Street Runners, before the nineteenth century informal watches were organised by London’s Council of Aldermen to keep the peace at night and during public executions. With London’s burgeoning population and the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the police force developed to meet these new requirements. This manual represents a major development leading to the formal creation of the Metropolitan Police Force that was introduced to Parliament in 1829 by Robert Peel: the professionalisation of the City of London force that established a model for Peel’s wider-ranging Scotland Yard.
The first chapter sets the tone, covering where a police station should be located and that it should “have the name of their office placed or painted upon their door”; that officers should be mustered both morning, evening and at the end of each shift; a book be kept “for the entry of every Warrant issued by the Lord Mayor” along with an Appearance-Book (essentially role call) and an Occurrence-Book where absences and incidents such as neglect of duty would be logged. The geographical boundaries of their jurisdiction are listed Furthermore, six stations - Mansion House, London Bridge, Portsoken, Bishopgate, Fleet-Market and Saint Andrew Holborn - would each be staffed by six senior officers. Both day and night patrols would be conducted by “Twelve efficient Officers,” divided into six pairs. All of which essentially centralised and consolidated the resources of the force.
The Sewers Act brought about new challenges and extracts of relevant clauses show how this affected the standing of coaches, obstructions in thee streets and indeed the “prevention of nuisances” which was so wide-ranging as to appear detrimental to commerce.
Three more editions of the manual appeared by 1832.
Not on OCLC, though we find one copy at the City of London’s Guildhall Library.
