Analysis of Metropolitan Police Formation and Contemporary Culture

This criminology report delves into the historical factors that led to the formation of the Metropolitan Police, examining the ineffectiveness of previous policing systems and the societal shifts that necessitated change. It explores the four major waves of paradigm shifts in policing, highlighting the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and social conflicts on the evolution of police practices. The report further analyzes the problematic aspects of police culture, including cynicism, isolation, and the impact of rules, norms, values, and beliefs on officer behavior. The report also examines the challenges faced by contemporary policing, including the impact of technology, bureaucratic structures, and the need for professionalization and transparency. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical context and cultural dynamics of policing to address current issues and improve public trust.

CRIMINOLOGY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Central historical factors behind the formation of metropolitan police in context of modern
police as whole.......................................................................................................................1
2. Meaning of police culture mentioning it is still a problematic issue in contemporary
policing...................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The increased number of crimes are not only creating challenges for the society but issues
are also faced by the contemporary police. With the development of other factors, the formation
of Metropolitan police had taken place (Hussain and et. al. 2016). This report is emphasised on
exploring different issues in contemporary policing. The central historical factors behind the
formation of metropolitan police will be analysed in the present learning. However, it should be
recognised that the police culture is still affecting the actions of modern-day policing. The
undertaking project will also pay attention to the police culture and issues of this culture in
contemporary policing.
1. Central historical factors behind the formation of metropolitan police in context of modern
police as whole.
The old policing system was observed ineffective in coping with the contemporary crime,
laws and other issues in places of UK. This has raised the demand for the evolution of forming a
new police system that can meet up the required demands (Amicelle and et. al. 2017). There are
mainly four waves in different time periods that have brought major shifts in the paradigms. The
first wave observed due to major wars and other revolutionary acts, urbanisation, etc. took place
in year 1829. Further, the increased modernisation, industrialisation, etc. have resulted in
development of 2nd wave of paradigm shift and that time was 1960. The other waves were
observed in the history of evolution of police practices in 1980 and 2010.
In context to the time before 1829, the ineffectiveness of policing practices revealed
through the crime statistics in 1810 had also influenced the government and people to employ an
effective police system that can work in appropriate manner to reduce the increased crime rates.
With the old system of policing during the eighteenth century, the major issue associated was the
limited organisational base. Further, there was a time in year 1829 when police force was
considered as a threat to the civil liberties. This was at the time when the Napoleon's spies and
secret police were increasing threat to threat to the military force (Calder, 2014). The
government of Peel and Tory then setted up the Metropolitan Police Force. This was the peak
time of development where around 1000 constables were employed. These constables were
named as Bobbies or Peelers. They were employed to manage the rising pressure on the
government due to the threat of confidentiality. There existed way too small numbers of
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constables to encounter the crimes and problems of public. This issues was turned into a crisis in
the modernised areas where the growth of towns had taken place. The agricultural and industrial
revolutions for the urban population were not managed by the historical police. Earlier forms of
police used to focus on limited functions such as purchase and negotiation, role of citizen
predominance, etc. However, with the rise in development such as modernisation, privatisation,
etc., more issues were started to rose up. These problems have demanded for suitable law and
police roles for their resolution. It should be further recognised that informant self policing.
There exist a large range of factors that have resulted in the development of modern-day
police. Some of the most common rationale behind this includes social, political and economical
context, political fetishism, securing and losing legitimacy, etc. Firstly, the idea of evolution of
police was developed after the increased need of establishing civil governance for enjoying basic
rights of life on liberty and property (Olejarz and et. al., 2016). The other major reason is the
building of problematic relationships between the police, government and citizens. A large
number of riots were the result of this sourness in the relationships that had raised the demand of
evolution of the existing police system. These reforms were entailing suitable actions for
effective dealing. A major issue among them was the tremendous increment in the rate of
urbanisation and industrialisation. Two major riots that were occurred on the mentioned topic
involves Gordon Riots in 1780 and Wapping Riots in 1783. Moreover, the by products of
urbanisation and industrialisation such as social dislocation, demoralisation, social conflicts have
raised the demand of evolution of existing police. These reforms influenced people to travel that
leads to dislocation of mass of people. There are also some negative impacts of this dislocations
such as social conflicts between different groups, increased crime rates, etc.
In addition to this, a tremendous growing rate was observed in the segregation of
different classes resulting in rise of conflicts. Industrialisation has further resulted in the growth
of conflicts between the employers and employees. As a result of these issues, various labour and
trade parties with antithetic motives grew (Doreian and Conti, 2017). In order to manage that
pressure from trade unions, an effective set of laws were entailed to frame along with assigning a
suitable police force to deal the grown challenges. Earlier, police force was entailed to manage
the personal relationship of people that was shared by a personal bond. However, with the
increased capital use in the market, those bonds were replaced by cash nexus raising a demand
for employing impelling force that can deal the issues in such relations. It should be further noted
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that the earlier process adopted by police was comparative longer then that which is used in
modern-day. With the increased urbanisation and industrialisation there developed a limitation of
time.
It has been further observed that at the time of 1950, de-legitimation was there. It has
resulted in dropping public confidence in the police services. After this, various changes were
made in the existing policing structure. The complete style of policing was altered such as
granting patrol cars, fire brigade policing, incident based call and emergency services, etc. Taken
for instance, as per the data of Royal Commission 1959 collected to measure the effectiveness of
policing structure, it has been found that 83% people voted that there is great deal of respect for
police. However, for the same cause, only 43% people voted in favour at 1989. Legitimacy was
further a factor that accounted in the development of metropolitan police. There are moreover
different forces of enforcing lawfulness in the operations such bureaucratic organisations, rule of
law and strategy of minimal force (Drummond and Manson, 2014). Under bureaucratic
organisation, the demand of having disciplined members in the structures has been raised so that
professionalism can be maintained. This professionalism was entailed to make the existing force
more suitable and appropriate for the work.
Moreover, the rule of law was to enable implementation of strict regulation governing use
of the discretionary power to reduce the illegal violence of police. Their role has been further
changed from just control to "care and control" for the people of society. For this, police person
were entitled for taking security of person and property (Densley, 2014). Also, 1950 is regarded
as the golden age of evolution of policing due to the transferred attention on the consensus. Some
ideal police officers like Dixon having different traits and competencies such as honesty,
upright, cool, calm, etc. were observed. This has raised the demand of employing more of such
officers on which society can trust and idolise.
A several decades of crisis were there in the police history entailing for the formation of
new metropolitan services. Following this, 1960 was termed as that period where major
movements took place which resulted in an increased demand of employing new policing
structure, culture, practices and people. This time has made people experience different high
profile brutality cases following with growing public criticism. A civil rights movement was
started by people against the savagery undertaken by the police officers with the criminals. This
had further influenced policing administrators to alter the existing policies where a high level of
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power is given to the police officers. In addition to this, 1970 was also a bad phase for the police
when they have faced increased criticism from public. Various claims were made on their
honesty, manipulation, etc. They were entitles as "firm within firm" to state the level of
corruption existing in policing structure. Criticisms are also made on the fact that they work on
the words of politicians and authorised person. Also, in order to protect a person they sometimes
deals in manipulation of evidences. This has raise the need of assuring transparency in the
operations of policing. Further, it has been observed that the decade has faced 274 deaths in
custody. The crisis continued in the next decades too where claims were made that police uses
their powers negatively. These practices miscarriages the justice and transformation of image of
police. In 1990s, there were complains that police promotes the racism in their activities. They
shows biassed behaviour on the basis of race, gender, colour, etc. (Dunham and Alpert, 2015).
In context to the paradigm shifts in 2010, the major reasons are central to the impact of
technology along with the growth of bureaucracy, managerialism and rationalism. There are
rapid changes in all these mentioned sectors are observed that have raised the demand of suitable
police work force to cope up with the requirements. The public management was emphasised on
achieving better results than the process that again raise the demand of altering the policies. They
further demanded for costing all the activities as value for money. Also, a high level of
professionalisation is entailed for streamlining the rank structure (Crank, 2014). Under this,
performance based pay was focused to professionalise policing. This should be considered as the
result of increased civilianisation. Police were then have to face two masters and they are home,
office and consumer. Hence, from these different paradigms shifts of antithetic time periods,
evolution of a completely new modern-day police can be observed.
2. Meaning of police culture mentioning it is still a problematic issue in contemporary policing.
Police culture can be regarded as an instance of the regular occupational culture via
which the newly engaged employees become socialised following the socialisation process. It is
a layer of informal occupational beliefs, value and norms that is existing under the extremely
rigid and hierarchical structure of police organisation (Ullah and et. al. 2016). It is further
considered as a patterned set of understanding which is entailed to cope with the work stress
which confronts the police. however, it can be best expressed as the pattern in which the things
are done. These actions are not necessarily to be performed as per the book only. Also, it is not
there that they will always be performed without it. Both the private and the public police have
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developed their own way of viewing the world and their place in it. Different elements that are
considered to play a role in the culture of police by impacting on the behaviour of police officer
involves rules, norms, values, beliefs, etc. There exits a wide range of factors associated with
police culture such as sense of mission, cynicism, suspicion, isolation, conservation, racial
prejudice and machismo. In context to sense of mission, every cop is having some sense of
morality in the heart that influence their actions. This sense further develops a thin line between
the chaos and order. The second element that is cynicism is the most risky of all. This is a
ideological plank that is developed in the cops while dealing criminals. Due to this, they lose
faith in society, and even in themselves because of their heave involvement in criminal,
corruption and other cases. The daily life activities of police makes them think that the crime,
corruption and brutality are so normal features. The fear of threat further makes them more
isolated. They are further supposed to be both politically and morally conservative. Calder,
(2014) stated that the new police are the public and the public are the people. They are highly
tuned with the people and their understanding with public is also recommended with a co-
ordinated network of systematic law enforcement.
However, Olejarz and et. al., (2016) stated that the police culture is a considerable issue
in the modern-day policing. The rigid structure of the police system is failing in effective
prioritisation in this changing world. It should be recognised that the police are centred to
complex and highly varied arrangements of governance that create problems to pay attention on
a simpler and clearly defined smaller number of proactive priorities. In addition to this, Densley,
(2014). added that the local public is highly influenced with the broadly defines roles of police.
This wideness of policing along with the social changes further have broadened the public
expectations from the police. In addition to this, there exist a major issue with the existing police
and that is associated with the consensus. It has been found that the modern-day policing
practices are highly uncertain and uncoordinated. This haphazard manner of working needs to be
professionalise. Doreian and Conti, (2017) further regarded police culture as the canteen culture
where there is little relationship between talk and action and demanded for an alternative
conception of culture.
One major issue of police culture is that it has constructed the role of police as manly.
The symbols, images, etc. promotes discrimination on the basis of gender. The practices of
policing emphasis on a form of masculinity. The culture of police was firm believer of this that
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only masculine men can accomplish the roles of police. Further, women are regarded as suitable
for the task. According to the views of Densley, (2014), domestic violence is the crucial of all the
crimes that are failed to handle effective by contemporary cops. It has been further added that
mostly, they are females who are suffered with such violence. Hence, it states the requirement of
women in police force to understand the things more better. Also, women can make themselves
miore comparable with the rape cases and how to deal with the criminals. However, the gender
division of police culture was not in support of this (Drummond and Manson, 2014). Some other
problematic issues that are still there in the modern day police involves discrimination activities
undertaken by police on the basis of race, colour, gender, etc. It has been found that promotion of
racial activities by failing in reflecting the ethnic diversity will never render an opportunity to the
undertaker to gain the full support of all the sections. Employees joining police force from
diversified range also have fear of victimisation due to the existing police culture. It has been
further observed that they have to face lack of support from seniors. Also, lack of unity between
black and whit women is observed. This absence of alignment can affect the effectiveness and
transparency of the functions of police force. Further, it was found that black men trade
themselves on the basis of their masculinity and aligns with dominant white men by distancing
themselves from all women. This lack of unity causes various severe issues such as social
injustice and de-legitimation.
A major threat with the present day policing is associated with the cyberspace. A
tremendously growing rate of cybercrimes entails for technical solutions to it. However, it should
be noted that computer science engineers have played a key role in it by developing reliable
software but it should be recognise that the operation of these tools required effective technical
knowledge. Police force needs to understand the nature of offences and victimisation to decide
the object to be safeguard (Densley, 2014). This can only be applied when the cops will have
reliable technical skills. It has been observed that the UK police is mainly affected with the high
rates of re-offending. This means, the criminals attempts crimes even after imprisonment. In this
way, it reveals that how the new policing structure is least focused on the rehabilitation and
resettlement of prisoners.
In addition to this, it has been observed that there are times when cops had used their
powers in negative manner. The number of deaths during custody were raised tremendously after
the establishment of rigid police culture. As per the records, around 380 people were died during
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custody. Hussain and et. al. (2016), further said that the police violence is acceptable as long as it
is legally justified. A number of cases were moreover observed by Southwark's Sapphire unit
(IPCC 2013) where police were failed to believe the victims and investigate rapes. Also, 3 police
officers were dismissed form their post in past 9 years. There was further an officer found to
close a rape case fraudulently. According to their records, motor crimes were prioritised over the
incidents of rape. There was lack of attention observed on the subject of domestic violence. Out
of the 43 forces only 8 were their who responded adequately to the domestic violence and such
crimes. There are various reasons behind this, for instance: lack of effective leadership, poor care
of victim, ineffective training, etc. Amicelle and et. al. (2017) stated that there are many times
when the police forces have applied pressure to collect unnecessary revenue from them. It should
be further noted that many cops reported that they were encouraged by government to ticketing
people for raising as much revenue as possible. This was also a major cause behind
discrimination too as out of the targeted residents major were the black. Thus, from all these
statements it can be said that the existing police culture is still a problematic issue in the
contemporary policing.
CONCLUSION
From the present report, it can be concluded that there exist a varied range of factors that
have raise the demand of formation of new metropolitan police form. This assessment is
performed to analyse the causes due to which the contemporary police exists as a whole. The
present undertaking report had also shed lights on the culture maintained by the police in their
practices. Further, the issues associated with maintaining this cultures in the modern-day policing
are analysed in the present report.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Amicelle, A.,and et. al. 2017. Criminology in the face of flows: reflections on contemporary
policing and security. Global Crime. 18(3). pp.165-175.
Calder, J. D., 2014. Influences of investigations and scholarly studies on the evolution of
American private policing: Healthy distrust, watchful eyes. In The Handbook of
Security (pp. 453-486). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Crank, J. P., 2014. Understanding police culture. Routledge.
Densley, J. A., 2014. It’s gang life, but not as we know it: The evolution of gang business. Crime
& Delinquency. 60(4). pp.517-546.
Doreian, P. and Conti, N., 2017. Creating the thin blue line: Social network evolution within a
police academy. Social Networks. 50. pp.83-97.
Drummond, J. and Manson, A. H., 2014. 12 The evolution and contemporary significance of the
Bophuthatswana-Botswana border landscape. The Geography of Border Landscapes
(Routledge Library Editions: Political Geography). 15. pp.217.
Dunham, R. G. and Alpert, G. P., 2015. Critical issues in policing: Contemporary readings.
Waveland Press.
Hussain, S., and et. al. 2016. Problems faced by Women Police in Pakistan. Volume 8/Number
1/January, 2016. 8(1). pp.73.
Olejarz, J. W. and et. al.,2016. Evolution of worker policing. Journal of theoretical biology. 399.
pp.103-116.
Ullah, F., and et. al. 2016. Factors Influencing Police Image in Public (A Study of University
Students Perception in KPK Pakistan). Pakistan Journal of Criminology. 8(3). pp.134.
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