On the Beat in Birmingham

Page 1 of 6

• 1. Town and borough police forces
• 2. Pulling rank
• 3. Rules and regulations
• 4. On the straight and narrow
• 5. The rogues' gallery
• 6. Find out more
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Town and borough police forces

As the Industrial Revolution took off, employees flocking to work in the new industries were housed in densely populated residential areas for the first time. Crime, of course, was not a new problem, but rocketing crime levels and a fervour for regulation led to the formation of town and borough police forces in 1832 after the Charter of Incorporation. This charter allowed towns and boroughs to levy a rate on householders in order to pay for street lighting and cleaning, pavements and for the provision of police on the model of Robert Peel's highly successful 'new police' in London, formed two years previously.

'Crime, of course, was not a new problem...'

Most towns and boroughs adopted the Charter, but the town of Birmingham did not. However, following the Chartist riots in 1839, the councillors and magistrates requested permission from Lord John Russell, the Home Secretary, to establish a police force. Permission was granted under special terms as Birmingham had not signed up to the Charter. Thus the Birmingham Police force was formed in August 1839; the chief officer was Francis Burgess, a barrister at Warwick, who also happened to be a friend of Lord John Russell.

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Published: 2001-08-01