the lighting and watch statutes, a point worth attending to even if we were
tempted to think that such an argument had only rhetorical value. But it was
clearly more than that. Crime was believed to be a serious problem in the City
in the 1720 s and 1730 s. That is why lighting and the watch were closely related,
and why it was agreed in 1736 that the lamps should be lit all night and through-
out the year—a decision that would be inexplicable if the general improvement
of the urban amenities had been the only force at work.
Policing the Night Streets 225