THE QUEEN'S PEACE The Origins and Development of The Metropolitan Police 1829-1979

Hardback. Foreword by Sir David McNee, QPM. The 1829 Act which created the Metropolitan Police was the culmination of generations of near-anarchy and of the efforts of a handful of dedicated reformers across a hundred years to bring order out of chaos. Sir Robert Peel's 'New Police' was the physical expression of one man's vision. Its survival, balanced precariously on the tight-rope of public opinion, was due to the patience and determination of its first Joint Commissioners, Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, to whom history has been less than extravagant in its praise. Yet over a century and a half (at the time of publication) the Metropolitan Police had survived often indifferent leadership, political animosity, and derisory rewards. The author traces the history of the Metropolitan Police from its origins in the mediaeval partnership of justices and constables, through the long years of struggle for public acceptance, down to the disorderly climate of 'modern day' 1970s. Brilliantly researched, it is a unique study of a unique institution, critical, funny, often disturbing, always readable. The author was given complete freedom to go where he wished and talk to police officers of every rank and shade of experience. With Epilogue, Appendices, Notes on Bibliographical and other Sources + Index. 364pp. 8vo. h/back. Nr. F. in Vg+ dw.