The mixture of local parish constables, night watchmen and groups like the Bow Street Runners was insufficient in dealing with law and order in Britain. People still remain opposed to a police force for a few reasons though:

Questions over whether a police force would infringe on people's privacy and personal freedoms
People were curious as to whether it would really make any difference to crime prevention and law enforcement
Some argued against it due to the expensive costs in funding such a force

In 1829, the Metropolitan Police Act gave London its first uniformed police force. London was divided into seven districts, each contained 144 constables and 4 inspectors. The reason for the police force was to deter criminal activity and caught those in the act of committing illegal activities.

Home Secretary, Robert Peel, wanted the police force to be easily recognisable (uniform) and wanted the force to be a positive addition to the safety of the public. Many people were concerned that the police force would end up preventing political protest and shutting down government opposition.

Developments of the force:

Some areas had a professional police at the start of the 19th century, but many still relied on the older system of parish constables
Development of the force was slow because:
- The public were concerned with the costs
- Different areas did not coordinate with one another
- Development was an option, therefore, many local governing bodies avoided reform
1835 Municipal Corporations Act: gave each borough council the means to set up a local police force
1839 Rural Constabulary Act: permitted all 54 counties to establish a paid police force in their area (only 36/54 did so by 1850)
1856 Police Act:
- Police forces were inspected by government officials and only received funding from the government on the basis they were doing their job properly
- The principle of deterrence was also established in this act
1869 - the National Crime Records established; telegraph communication allowed police forces to collect and share information quickly about criminals and suspects
1842 - detective branch was established in Scotland Yard; focus on investigating crimes
1878 - Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was founded
- CID employed 600 detectives by 1883
- 1901 - the first fingerprint bureau was established in Scotland Yard (this increased the number of crimes that the CID was able to solve)