Can /his/ tell me about the history of police. Reading history

I only know a little about the history British policing (i think the Brits had the first modern police anyway) from my law days. But basically, crime was often left to the victim or their family to prosecute. Of course this was terribly unfair to poor citizens who were not educated or able to afford representation.

As a result, vigilantism was pretty common. The military was utilised for keeping public order and the State was involved in crimes such as treason etc, but on the whole private prosecutions was the norm.

For example, 'theif-takers' were pretty common. Bascially, they are just guys who apprehended thiefs and prosecuted them on behalf of paying victims.

There were Parish Constables as well, but there weren't really police in the modern sense, but they were certianly the forerunner to Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police Service that was introduced in around 1830.

These were the first salaried, professional police officers in the UK and Europe, (Maybe the world? I'm not sure) that we would today recognise as police and perform pretty much the same role.

it started with cities and with the state seizing the right to use violence, about 19th century

before that it was linked to local judicial functions, you needed to catch a thief, you got the sherrif(or the equivalent of it whatever it was called anywhere) of the county with a few men and that was it

in europe it was divided into cities and countrysides

gendarmerie on the countryside, a more militaristic approach as the enviroment was more rigid, police in cities

At least in America, I'm pretty sure policing really started proper with the Pinkerton's in the mid-19 century.

Apparently they were originally hired to protect gold mine interests by private companies, and after a while I think states and counties realized it was a bad idea having private companies do that and raised taxes to employ sheriffs and deputies.