By September of 1829, the very first Metropolitan Police began patrolling the streets of London (Rowland, n.d.). During this time the area was separated into 17 divisions and maintained by a force comprised of 4 inspectors, who had 144 …show more content…
This Act further permitted the J.P.’s to appoint chief constables to direct the police in their areas and allowed for one policeman per 1,000 head of population (The Development of a Police Force, 2006). During 1839, the County Police Act was also passed, which made the ‘Peelers’ the model for the creation of all provincial forces initiating in the London Boroughs, and then into countries and towns (Rowland, n.d.).
In the 1840’s, disparity between the different areas of the country became prevalent due to there being no single style of policing (Rowland, n.d.). Then in 1842, a new Parish Constables Act was passed as a response to the political unrest that was associated with the chartist movement (The Development of a Police Force, 2006). Although the police force in London was proving effective in the reduction of crime and increasing detection, there were only 12,000 policemen in England and Wales by 1855 (The Development of a Police Force, …show more content…
Given special circumstance in North Ireland, its Chief Constable has given the authority to carry firearms, on and off duty, only to its officers that have successfully passed training (Feikert-Ahalt, 2014). Specialized firearms units active within the United Kingdom and are permitted to use weapons (Feikert-Ahalt, 2014). It is the responsibility of the Chief Officer of Police to select and acquire weaponry utilized by these specialized firearm units (Feikert-Ahalt, 2014). The Chief Officer of Police selects these weapons in accordance with a threat and risk assessment process, which remains constantly under evaluation to ensure that police are adequately armed (Feikert-Ahalt, 2014). Operational guidelines are utilized within this process and a specified caliber of weapons is permitted (Feikert-Ahalt,