The main task of the Metropolitan Police was crime prevention and a detective department was further added to the force in 1842. However, that department was ineffective and ill-prepared to deal with crime for many years.

A serious police scandal in 1877, led to Howard Vincent, a barrister, being appointed to establish the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). It was set up with 216 officers in 1878. Even with this greater distinction between crime detection and prevention, corruption continued within the force.

Commissioner Charles Warren:

After strikes and public distrust regarding government policy, the home secretary made Charles Warren, a former general, as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in 1886. However, people still believed the police were just the government in uniform. Warren called in the army to quash protesters on Bloody Sunday. Further, people felt the police were just oppressing the poorer classes.

When the Jack the Ripper murders caused mass terror in Whitechapel, Warren paid the price for the inability of the police to catch the killer and was forced out as the Commissioner.