6 The War Years, 1793-1815
In the 1790s and after, the continued crime wave, new anxiety associated
with the French Revolution, and the rise of English radicalism increasingly
drew the central government into policing London.^1 Whigs and conservatives
in the 'country' tradition were suspicious of placing too much power in the
hands of government but heightened fears of crime and disorder overcame
old fears of tyranny. Parliament gave the executive authority to jail suspects
without trial, censor the press, and prevent free assembly. In London, these
powers came to be exercised by government-appointed stipendiary magis-
trates installed by virtue of the Middlesex Justices Act of 1792.
While it jailed radicals, Pitt's government also bolstered expressions of
patriotism. Loyal Associations and Volunteer Corps were founded with the
government's blessing and money. These associations were proud of being in
the long tradition of English amateurism. They published anti-radical pro-
paganda and were occasionally called out to police riots and to physically
intimidate radicals. But in time even loyalist enthusiasm for amateur policing
waned. Another expression of loyalty was found in the reinvigorated move-
ment for moral purity. Moral reform societies of the 1780s were bolstered by
new groups, especially the Society for the Suppression of Vice. Fear of
radicalism, support for moral reform, sympathy for Benthamite reform,
and advocacy of centralized policing for London came together in Patrick
Colquhoun. Colquhoun was a transitional figure between older, broader
views of policing and the narrower, more modem definitions and was a
persistent advocate for centralized, uniform policing.
The war years laid heavier than normal burdens on parish authorities, too.
Recent improvements in the night watch had a cost which became difficult to
meet. Local leaders knew how to improve policing and, especially in the
wake of the Ratcliffe Highway murders in 1812, had some motivation to
pursue such reforms. But very real concerns about resources and a powerful
executive power defeated the central government's new effort to bring a
greater degree of centralization and uniformity to the metropolitan night
watch. By the end of the war in 1815, the gap between those who could
afford more elaborate policing and those who settled for a basic night watch
had substantially widened.
English reactions to the French Revolution ranged from supportive enthu-
siasm to hysterical fear.^2 The French Revolution gave new life and power to
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