PAST CRIMESforce, which superseded the Bow Street Runners, magistrates’constables and
the river police. They moved into headquarters at Scotland Yard, close to the
Thames. In 1839 the separate City of London Police force was set up. The
‘Met’had an initial complement of 895 constables, 88 sergeants, 20 inspectors
and 8 superintendents. Seventeen police divisions were created covering a
seven mile radius from Charing Cross, with others following later. Recruits
had to be under thirtyfive years of age, healthy and strong, at least 5ft 7in tall,
able to read and write, and with good characters. By 1874 there were nearly
10,000 police officers in London. The County Police Act of 1839 allowed the
establishment of similar forces across the country.^8
The Metropolitan Police carried no weapons, but attacks on officers led to
the issue of firearms, which were only to be used at the discretion of senior
officers. Cutlasses were issued to some officers involved in guard duties.^9
They wore a distinctive blue uniform to distinguish them from redcoated
military police, which consisted of a blue tailed coat with a high collar to
prevent the officer from being garrotted, white trousers in summer, dark ones
in winter, and a canereinforced top hat which was strong enough to stand on.
White bars on the sleeves of the coats helped to distinguish police officers
from naval personnel. Officers were given a rattle with which to call for
assistance, and a truncheon, while senior officers carried swords. A whistle
replaced the rattle after a while. The coat was replaced with a tunic in 1863,
and the archetypal policeman’s helmet was introduced (Plate 9).
It was a terrible murder that led to the creation of a detective department in
- In April of that year, Daniel Good, a Wandsworth coachman, who lived
in the stables where he worked, killed his commonlaw wife, dismembered
her body and tried to dispose of the pieces by burning them. A little later, he
stole a pair of trousers from a pawnbroker, who informed a constable. PC
Gardiner went to Good’s house to conduct a search for the stolen trousers. PC
Gardiner saw something that he first thought to be the body of a pig or goose,
but then realised was a female torso, partially burned. Good made a run for it,
locking the constable inside the stable.
The Metropolitan Police searched everywhere for the murderer for ten
days, but he had escaped to Kent. It was there that a former constable from the
Wandsworth District recognised him, having read about the case in the local
newspaper. Good was arrested, tried, and executed at Newgate in May.
The whole business was very embarrassing for the police. A murder suspect
had got away from them, and was only caught by the lucky chance of a
civilian, albeit expolice, being alert. The press had a field day, pillorying the
police force. The response of the Police Commissioners was to set up the first