Case study: the reforms of Robert Peel 

Who was Robert Peel? 

  1. Robert Peel became home secretary in 1822.  

  1. He was then prime minister from 1834 to 1835, and then again from 1841 to 1846.  

  1. He was open to new ideas and skilful at seeing bills through parliament.  

 

Peel’s penal reforms in the 1820s 

  1. Peel believed in preventing crime and reforming criminals, rather than using prison as deterrence. He had sympathy with reformers like Elizabeth Fry.  

  1. He reduced the number of crimes punishable by death by 100.  

  1. He persuaded parliament to pass the 1823 Gaols Act, which said that prisoners should receive regular visits from prison chaplains, that gaolers should be paid (so they didn’t have to accept bribes), and that female prisoners should have female warders.  

  1. However, this had a limited impact, because there were not paid inspectors. These were not introduced until the 1853 Prisons Act was introduced.  

 

The formation of the Metropolitan Police, 1829 

  1. From 1826, there was an economic downturn, which led to increased poverty and so increased crime and rioting.  

  1. Peel argued that it would be a good idea for having a centralised system for keeping the peace across London. As a result, the first Metropolitan Police officers were appointed in September 1829.  

  1. These new police officers were organised in a military style hierarchy and employed full-time with weekly pay. They had standardised trainings and had a headquarters set up in Scotland Yard.  

  1. Initially, there were 2800 new recruits to this police force.  

  1. The reaction from the public and press was hostile. They were portrayed as poorly-trained and immoral.  

  1. Of the 2800 recruits initially signed up, only 600 were retained for a year or more.  

  1. People also worried about oppression from a military-style presence on the street, and the increased cost to the tax payer.  

  1. To try to overcome these criticism, Peel drew up some policing guidelines, which still provide the foundation for modern policing today:  

  1. The police existed to prevent crime and disorder 

  1. They would police by consent, and would need the respect of the public.  

  1. To do this, they would need to demonstrated impartial service to the law.  

  1. They should only use physical force when necessary and when other options have not worked.  

  1. The police are part of the public, not above the public (‘citizens in uniform’)