To Catch A Thief

In the second JAFF book I ever wrote, I included a grievous error: I had Lydia Bennet, confined by her uncle Gardiner in London, drop a note out the window asking someone to bring the police. Observant readers were quick to inform me that in regency London, there was no formal police force. One reader strongly upbraided me for failing to do proper research.

(She was right! I had “researched” by doing a quick Google search and reading a couple of blog entries written by other JAFF writers, not properly digging into the subject on my own. Mea culpa, and a rookie mistake.)

For centuries, there was no organized, official system of law enforcement in London, or in the rest of England for that matter. Law enforcement was a rather haphazard affair. If you were the victim of a crime and caught the criminal red handed, it was up to you to detain them. You would then summon a constable or perhaps a watchman, who would take the criminal into custody. Otherwise you had to go to court to prove your accusation against the person who had wronged you.

If you had enough money, it was also possible to hire a professional “thief taker” to locate your criminal, bring them to justice, and recover your stolen property. Thief takers, a cross between private investigators and bounty hunters, were hired and paid for by private individuals, not by the government. They were also notoriously corrupt, sometimes  carrying out crimes themselves and often taking payments from the criminals as “protection.”

(Click here for information on one of England’s most notorious thief takers.)

Needless to say, this system left a lot to be desired, and in 1749 a gentleman by the name of Henry Fielding, a magistrate, decided to try his hand at reform.  He chose to hire his own group of thief takers, train them thoroughly, and then have them operate on principals of speed, efficiency, and established procedures. This group of men became the predecessors of our modern police forces.

(Henry Fielding was also a popular novelist in his day! Who knew??)

“Mr. Fielding’s people,” as they became known, quickly distinguished themselves from other thief takers by their adherence to professional standards. There were only six of them to start with and with such a small force, they could only patrol one parish of London. But they wore recognizable uniforms, maintained detailed records of crimes and criminals, and actively solicited information and assistance from the public. They carried out regular patrols of their territory on foot and on horseback. Importantly, they didn’t take money from criminals in exchange for their cooperation. Within a short time they had earned the trust of the public in their one parish, and their numbers began to grow.

 The crown noticed that crime went down where “Mr. Fielding’s people” were active, and more importantly, when they were well funded. Over time their funding changed from a mixture of private sources and public grants to exclusively public funds. As their numbers swelled they went from working out of Fielding’s home (on Bow Street) to working in an office, but their nickname stuck.

The Bow Street Runners began a practice we still use extensively today: they took the data they collected and published it across the country, helping people many miles apart to identify repeating patterns of crimes and recognize gangs of thieves that worked together. By pooling resources and information, it was possible not just to bring criminals to justice and restore stolen goods, but in some cases, to prevent crimes from happening at all.

The Bow Street Runners were active until 1829, when they were incorporated into the new Metropolitan Police. But by then they had brought an entirely new level of professionalism to law enforcement and turned it into something we recognize today. We owe them, and Henry Fielding, a tremendous debt.

Have you read any JAFF featuring the Bow Street Runners? I would love to see a story where Darcy uses them to investigate Wickham and convince Elizabeth of his true character before he can run off with Lydia! Or perhaps the married Darcy and Elizabeth team up with the Bow Street Runners to solve crimes! What plot bunnies can you come up with?