14 Before the Bobbiesand JPs prominently placed in their midst. Thus local authorities were able
to initiate significant changes, often with wider implications than their local
origin would lead one to believe.^45
Another debate in the history of English policing was that of amateur
versus professional. English local government was based on the tradition that
every property owner had an obligation to serve the community by taking his
turn in the various local offices. It was believed that the liberties of English-
men were better safeguarded when government was in the hands of inde-
pendent amateurs. A 1710 guide for constables notes they should be 'chosen
out of the honestest ablest and most understanding Men, not Feeble with old
Age, nor otherwise Weak, Sick, Poor, or Impotent, That so the Office may be
perform'd truly and diligently, without Malice, Affection, or Partiality.'^46 The
rhetoric of those critical of paid officials reflects the Country criticism of
placemen in Parliament. For example, in a piece from 1766 entitled The
Midnight Spy, the author criticizes a 'reforming constable', who detained a
gentleman and a prostitute who was his companion: 'To punish vice is
doubtless essential to the welfare of society; but when the rod of correction
is vested in unworthy hands, the very exercise of it becomes a curse. The
sanction of law has too often screened complicated villainy, and knaves have
perpetrated the most iniquitous actions under the mask of justice.'^47 An
important principle introduced in the 1720 Bill, however, was the substitu-
tion of money for service. The ideal of unpaid, public service came up against
the reality of urban needs and the growing recognition that paid employees
could provide as effective, perhaps even better, service as amateurs.^48 This
bill represents one of the first attempts to professionalize this branch of local
government service. The watchmen were to be converted from amateurs into·
paid, public servants, and ratepayers became consumers rather than provid-
ers of the services they provided.
While the 1720 Bill provided for the establishment of a paid night watch,
supervision of the watch was placed in the hands of the constables and High
Constables, about whom the Bill said nothing. These officers would have
continued to be appointed in the traditional manner, each serving a one-year
unpaid term of office, or else hiring a substitute. This mixture of innovation
and tradition was also to become a characteristic of police reform over the
course of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Over time, the mix
of amateur and professional law enforcement officers moved increasingly
towards the professional.
Protection of the privileges of the City of London is another constant
factor in the history of metropolitan police reform. The story of the devel-
opment and reform of the City police is largely separate from that of the
rest of the Metropolis. While influenced by changes and trends that affected
the whole region, its special status and the more cohesive nature of the
Corporation meant the City of London was able to pursue its own course.