3 - the extension of police forces in the 19th century

History

What did the Municipal Corporations Act (1835) allow?

It allowed borough towns to set up a police force if they wished, but only a small number had done so by 1837.

What did the Rural Police Act (1839) allow?

It allowed JPs to establish police forces in their county, but only a small number had done so by 1856.

Which Welsh counties were the first to establish police forces under the Rural Police Act (1839)?

Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire in 1840, followed by Glamorgan in 1841.

How many officers did early Welsh borough police forces have?

Swansea: 7 officers

Cardiff: 5 officers

Neath: 1 officer

What did the County and Borough Police Act (1856) do?

Made it compulsory for every county to have a police force.

Inspectors of the Constabulary inspected forces for efficiency.

Efficient forces received 25% of their running costs from the government.

What was the Detective Branch (1842)?

A unit where detectives investigated crimes while dressing in plain clothes. It became the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in 1878.

What was the purpose of Special Branch (1883)?

Initially set up to deal with Irish terrorism, but later expanded to investigate all terrorist threats.

How was photography used in policing from the 1850s onwards?

It provided visual records of criminals, improving identification and police investigations.

When was fingerprinting introduced, and why was it important?

Introduced in 1901.

Used to establish unique identity.

The national fingerprint register increased crime detection by over 400%.