Bow Street Runner
Quick Summary
A Bow Street Runner was a London police officer associated with the Bow Street police court. Specifically, they were officers appointed around 1805 to serve as detectives in London and other parts of England.1
The Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 by brothers Henry and John Fielding, who were magistrates at the Bow Street Court. This organization was created as a salaried constabulary to address the high crime rates in London. They patrolled the streets within the Bow Street parish. While this was an early form of professional policing, there was limited support for such forces across England at the time.2
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Henry FieldingMaturity.…of able and energetic “thieftakers”—the Bow Street Runners. To improve relations between the law and the public, he started a newspaper, The Covent Garden Journal, in which the following appeared regularly:
Read More…of able and energetic “thieftakers”—the Bow Street Runners. To improve relations between the law and the public, he started a newspaper, The Covent Garden Journal, in which the following appeared regularly:
Read More- Sir John Fielding
…was a founder of the Bow Street Runners, and he persuaded the government to contribute to the expenses of his small force of professional detectives. He also provided for the circulation among the police and the public of descriptions of offenders.
Read More…was a founder of the Bow Street Runners, and he persuaded the government to contribute to the expenses of his small force of professional detectives. He also provided for the circulation among the police and the public of descriptions of offenders.
Read More