Detective Branch of the Metropolitan Police formed

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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The establishment of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel in 1829 had proved successful, so in 1842 the first Detective Branch was created with the purpose of preventing crime rather than undertaking

post factum

investigations. Two detectives were attached to each division of the force and two inspectors and six sergeants were established at Scotland Yard. In the event, the detectives' success in tracking down murders, and especially in the Manning case in 1850, changed public perceptions and their mode became forensic.

Detectives soon began to appear in fiction, Dickens' Inspector Bucket in Bleak House (1852) and Wilkie Collins's Serjeant Cuff in The Moonstone (1868) being two famous examples. Dickens also wrote “On Duty with Inspector Field” on 14 June 1851 in Household

170 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Detective Branch of the Metropolitan Police formed". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5480, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5480 Detective Branch of the Metropolitan Police formed 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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