Victorian Policing

by Gaynor Haliday

What was life like for the Victorian bobby? Gaynor Haliday became fascinated with the history of the early police forces when researching the life of her great-great-grandfather; a well-regarded, long-suffering Victorian police constable in Bradford. Although a citation claimed his style of policing was merely to cuff the offender round the ear and send him home, press reports of the time painted a much grimmer picture of life on the beat in the Victorian streets.

Handwritten Watch Committee minutes, historical newspapers and police records combine to reveal an account of how and why the various police forces were set up; the recruitment, training and expectations of the men, the issues and crimes they had to deal with, and the hostility they encountered from the people whose peace they were trying to keep.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2018

Reviews

[Jonathan Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as reference for a project, which means that I intended to dip this book as I needed. The book was so well written however, that I found it a cover to cover read that I kept picking up every spare moment I had. If you want to know how the Victorians went about policing, this is certainly the book for you.

[S. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging look at the everyday trials and tribulations of the police officer in the Victorian era. Some really interesting case studies of discipline, disciplinary matters, offenders, offences, court hearings, and pocket notebook entries. The focus is really on the patrolling constable rather than detectives, investigations, or developments in forensics.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that this is brilliant! I met the author Gaynor Haliday at my local cemetery where they hold cemetery tours, and she did one on crime and punishment. She read an extract from the book about the Bradford police constables and coroners buried there, and I was immediately hooked. I had to buy a copy for myself. The book has also been a great help to me in my university studies of criminology. It's been a valuable resource for my research, and I'm grateful to have found it.