The first professional police forces started to appear in the early 1800s across the UK.
There was much civil unrest due to poor pay and working conditions, and often the only option to quell riots was to bring in the Army, at the cost of civilian lives. Home Secretary Robert Peel’s solution was the peelers British police force.
The paid, professional police force would be recruited from ordinary men (not the upper classes) and be impartial and fair. They would police by consent, rather than military force, and only use force where absolutely necessary.
The Birmingham Police were created in November 1839 following Chartist Riots. They replaced the previous system of street keepers and night watchmen.
An important part of showing that the police were the public and the public were the police, was the uniform. This was distinctly non-military, with a top hat instead of a helmet, so they looked more like gentlemen. They were issued with blue coats and trousers (white trousers in the summer), stocks and capes. They carried a rattle, handcuffs, truncheon, warrant card, a cutlass and a lamp by night. Their unique collar number was displayed on a high collar on the coat – this ensured accountability and legitimacy, with any officer being identifiable for reporting to his superiors.