The father of policing in Britain, and therefore of policing in Britain’s colonies, was Sir Robert Peel. When he was Home Secretary – he subsequently became Prime Minister – he founded the first modern police force in 1829. For a long time policemen were called Peelers and to this day they are called Bobbies in memory of Sir Robert. Their introduction was controversial – cries of “tyranny’s accomplices” quickly found their way into the popular prints. Gradually, however, the police found general acceptance no doubt because their contribution to public peace greatly outweighed any heavy-handedness they might be responsible for.
In the light of the current lambasting of the Guyana Police Force and the daily calls on the police to improve their service to all of us, it may serve some purpose to set out the philosophy on which the London Metropolitan Police Force was founded. This became known as Robert Peel’s Nine Principles of Policing.
