Some say that London was actually quite safe. British politician Douglas Hurd has written a biography of Sir Robert Peel – the man who created the world’s first police force in London in 1829. In his book, Hurd says that “peace-loving citizens slept easily in their beds” during this period." In 1856, historian J Ewing Ritchie said the police arrested 73,240 people, mostly for drunkenness. Only 6,763 people were arrested for assault. These figures are nothing compared to present-day standards.
Sir Robert Peel