The Marine Police Force, sometimes known as the Thames River Police and said to be England's first Police force, was formed by magistrate Patrick Colquhoun and a Master Mariner, John Harriott, in 1798 to tackle theft and looting from ships anchored in the Pool of London and the lower reaches of the river. Patrick Colquhoun ( 14 March 1745 - 25 April 1820) was a merchant statistician Magistrate, and founder of the first regular Preventive Originally the Pool of London was the stretch of the River Thames forming the south side of the City of London. Its base was (and remains) in Wapping High Street, and it is now known as the Marine Support Unit. The Marine Support Unit (MSU sometimes still known by its prior name of Thames Division) is a Central Operations unit of the Metropolitan Police, that ^[1]

Contents 1 Origins 2 Establishment 3 Modern day 4 References 5 External links

Origins

Merchants were losing an estimated £500,000 worth of stolen cargo annually from the Pool of London on the River Thames. Originally the Pool of London was the stretch of the River Thames forming the south side of the City of London. ^[2] A plan was devised to curb the problem in 1797 by an Essex Justice of the Peace and master mariner, John Harriot, who joined forces with Patrick Colquhoun and utilitarian philosopher, Jeremy Bentham. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common A Justice of the Peace ( JP) is a Puisne Judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall Utility, that is its contribution to happiness Jeremy Bentham ( IPA: or) (15 February 1748&ndash6 June 1832 was an English Jurist, Philosopher, and legal and Social reformer Armed with Harriot’s proposal and Bentham’s insights, Colquhoun was able to persuade the West India Planters Committees and the West India Merchants to fund the new force. They agreed to a one year trial and on 2 July 1798, after receiving government permission, the Thames River Police began operating with Colquhoun as Superintending Magistrate and Harriot the Resident Magistrate^[2]

With the initial investment of £4,200, the new force began with about 50 men charged with policing 33,000 workers in the river trades, of whom Colquhoun claimed 11,000 were known criminals and “on the game. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ” The river police received a hostile reception by riverfront workers not wishing to lose their supplementary income. A mob of 2000 attempted to burn down the police office with the police inside. The skirmish that followed resulted in the first line of duty death for the new force with the killing of Gabriel Franks.

Nevertheless, Colquhoun reported to his backers that his force was a success after its first year, and his men had “established their worth by saving £122,000 worth of cargo and by the rescuing of several lives. ” Word of this success spread quickly, and the government passed the Marine Police Bill on 28 July 1800, transforming it from a private to public police agency. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. Colquhoun published a book on the experiment, The Commerce and Policing of the River Thames. It found receptive audiences far outside London, and inspired similar forces in other countries, notably, New York, Dublin, and Sydney. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 ^[2]

Historians of policing credit Colquhoun’s innovation as a critical development leading up to Robert Peel’s “new” police three decades later. Sir Robert Peel 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 &ndash 2 July 1850 was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April Along with the Bow Street Runners, the Thames River Police was eventually absorbed by the Metropolitan Police in the 19th century. The Bow Street Runners have been called London 's first professional Police force. Colquhoun’s utilitarian approach to the problem – using a cost-benefit analysis to obtain support from businesses standing to benefit – allowed him to achieve what Henry and John Fielding failed for their Bow Street detectives. Cost-benefit analysis is a term that refers both to a formal discipline used to help appraise or assess the case for a Project or proposal which itself is Henry Fielding ( April 22, 1707 &ndash October 8, 1754) was an English Novelist and Dramatist known for his This article is about the London magistrate For the soldier see John Williams (VC. Unlike the stipendiary system at Bow Street, the river police were full-time, salaried officers prohibited from taking fees. ^[3]

The idea of a police, as it existed in France, was considered an affront to the liberal English, particularly during this period of upheaval. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. For the government then, it was not only a matter of saving money, but that there was significant opposition and little support from political constituencies. Colquhoun made an economic rather than political case to show that a police dedicated to crime prevention was “perfectly congenial to the principle of the British constitution. ” Moreover, he went so far as to praise the French system, which had reached “the greatest degree of perfection. ”^[4]

As impressive as Colquhoun’s ability to sell the idea of a publicly funded police force was, his main contribution is recognized as the introduction of crime prevention, or preventive policing, as a fundamental principle to the English police system. Preventive police is that aspect of law enforcement intended to act as a deterrent to the commission of crime His police were to be a deterrent to crime by their permanent presence on the Thames. He arrived at this conclusion by viewing as a science, and in utilitarian fashion, attempted to press that science into the service of the national political economy. He published two dozen treatises on a variety of social problems, but the most significant is his 1797 A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis. ^[4]

Establishment

On creation, they took a lease of premises on the current site of Wapping Police Station and appointed a Superintendent of Ship Constables with 5 Surveyors to patrol the River, day and night. These Surveyors were rowed in open Galleys by Police Watermen. Watermen are river workers who transfer passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in Britain and its colonies They also had 4 Surveyors visiting ships being loaded and unloaded, with Ship Constables (who were appointed and controlled by the Marine Police Force but paid for by ship owners and not out of police funds) supervising gangs of dockers. A Surveyor of Quays with two assistants and 30 Police Quay Guards watched over cargoes on shore.

By 1829, the force had expanded to occupy three stations at Wapping, Waterloo, and Blackwall. Waterloo Road is a road straddling Lambeth and Southwark, London, SE1. This entry concerns the area of London known as Blackwall For the type of merchant sailing ship first built there and named after it see Blackwall Frigate

Thames Division was formed in 1839 with the amalgamation of the Marine Police Force with the Metropolitan Police Force. The Marine Support Unit (MSU sometimes still known by its prior name of Thames Division) is a Central Operations unit of the Metropolitan Police, that "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. Initially patrols were conducted in rowing boats, some of which remained in use until 1905. Impetus to change was provided when, on 3 September 1878, the steam collier Bywell Castle ran into the pleasure steamer Princess Alice in Galleons Reach with the loss of over 600 lives. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Collier is an historical term used to describe a Bulk cargo Ship designed to carry Coal. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller SS Princess Alice was a Thames river steamer which sank after a collision in 1878 with the loss of an estimated 640 lives The subsequent inquest and inquiry recommended that Thames Division should have steam launches, as rowing galleys had shown themselves to be inadequate for police duty, and the first two were commissioned in the mid 1880s. By 1898, the force had a further 8 steam launches to supplement its rowing galleys. In 1910 the first motor vessels were introduced^[1]. The original Marine Police has been commemorated with police vessel names, including the Supervision launches John Harriott (1947-1963) and Patrick Colquhoun (1963-2003), and Targa duty boats still in use, the John Harriott and the Gabriel Franks. ^[5]

Modern day

The London Docks have now moved downstream, but the Marine Police Force continues to operate at the same Wapping High Street address and is now the Marine Support Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service. The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London. Wapping (pronounced 'Wopping' is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. High Street, or the High Street, is a Metonym for the generic name (and frequently the official name of the primary Business street The Marine Support Unit (MSU sometimes still known by its prior name of Thames Division) is a Central Operations unit of the Metropolitan Police, that "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. They are now supported in their rescue duties by RNLI lifeboats, a London Fire Brigade fire boat, and Coastguard services. The founder Sir William Hillary Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in 1808 The London Fire Brigade ( LFB) is the statutory A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea

References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Museum website

The Marine Police Force, sometimes known as the Thames River Police and said to be England's first Police force was formed by magistrate Patrick Colquhoun and a Master

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