The establishment and influence of the Bow Street Runners
Thomas de Veil became Someone responsible for maintaining law and order in a county. Often abbreviated to JP. (JP) for Westminster in 1729 and set up his office on Bow Street in London. To help reduce crime, he went on patrol with his constables to catch criminals. The Bow Street Runners were established by Henry Fielding and his half-brother, John Fielding, in the winter of 1749-50. At first there were only six Bow Street Runners but the force was later extended to include the areas covered by seven other JPs. By 1800, there were 68 Bow Street Runners.
The Bow Street Runners were provided with handcuffs, a pistol and a stick. They were paid a A coin worth 拢1 and 1 shilling. a week to catch criminals, and they also received rewards for each successful conviction. At first they wore their own clothes, but later they were given a uniform.
John Fielding was given a government grant to set up a horse patrol to deal with the rise in highway robbery. This funding only lasted for 18 months, but the horse patrol idea was later reintroduced in 1805.
John also began the concept of appealing to the public for help in solving crimes. He published a newspaper called The Quarterly Pursuit, which was later renamed The Public Hue and Cry. These newspapers publicised information on stolen property and other crimes, and gave descriptions of wanted suspects.
The effectiveness and influence of the Bow Street Runners
Since the introduction of the Bow Street Runners and a few successes, their numbers increased. Originally they were paid from a government grant, but the scheme continued after the grant ended.
The crime rate in Bow Street fell while the conviction rates increased. The horse patrol was highly effective at reducing highway robbery. It was so successful that the government stopped funding it because the robbery rate had fallen so much.
The success of the Bow Street Runners led to other initiatives following the deaths of the Fielding brothers:
- In 1792, the Middlesex Justices Act meant that seven other JPs were funded to extend the Bow Street scheme to their areas.
- In 1798, the Thames River Police was set up. This resulted from the influence of another JP, Patrick Colquhoun.
- In 1805, a new horse patrol was set up. This had 54 officers, who were nicknamed Robin Redbreasts because of their red uniform.
However, the Fieldings鈥 work and influence were limited to parts of London. At the end of the 18th century, the old system of JPs and constables remained in place everywhere else.