Robert Peel Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

Who was Robert Peel and what government post did he hold?

A reforming politician who was Home Secretary in 1822–27 and 1828–30 (and later Prime Minister).

What did the Metropolitan Police Act (1829) do?

It set up the Metropolitan Police, a force of about 3,000 uniformed, paid constables for London, based at Scotland Yard.

What did Peel's Gaols Act (1823) do?

It required gaolers to be paid, prisons to be inspected by magistrates, chaplains and doctors to visit, and women prisoners to be guarded by female warders.

What was Robert Peel's contribution to the death penalty?

He cut back the Bloody Code, abolishing the death penalty for over 100 crimes, mostly minor property offences.

Why were Peel's Metropolitan Police given blue uniforms and usually no guns?

So they would look like civilians rather than soldiers; many people feared a military-style force, and officers were trained to use force only as a last resort.

Give one reason Peel was able to get the Metropolitan Police Act passed in 1829.

Crime rose in London after the economic downturn of 1826, convincing Parliament that the old watchmen and constables could not cope.