Police forces in Britain did not appear until the mid-19th century. Prior to then Parish constables, recruited from the local citizens on a rotating basis, were responsible for law and order, but were so ineffective that in order to protect their property, land owners banded together to offer rewards for the capture of felons and return of stolen property, the greatest reward being for highway robbery or the crime of breaking and entering into a house, which was almost double the reward offered for the capture of a felon who had killed or maimed a horse. Around the middle of the 19th century organised police forces were formed in Great Britain which quickly evolved into the integrated force we have today.
The British police force in the 21st century are an unsavoury organisation supposedly governed by legislation (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) designed to protect the innocent. However, the reality is very different. Good advice is never to speak to a British policeman without having legal representation accompany you. If you are arrested, everything you say and do is noted and recorded by the police with a view to obtaining a conviction against you. There are no friendly chats with the police, they actively use deceipt, lies, intimidation and deprivation to trick suspects into confessing to crimes they may not even have committed. Research Police
Abbreviations
General Information
Research Police