<P> Fielding's force was made up of eight constables who also investigated crimes handed over to them by the volunteer constables and watchmen . Runners were identified by carrying a tipstaff with the Royal Crown on it, which had a compartment inside to store official identification and documents . In 1805 the Bow Street Horse Patrol, the first form of uniformed policing seen in the capital, was established alongside the Runners, later amalgamating into the Metropolitan Police in 1837 . Unofficial "thief - takers" operated independently from the Bow Street Runners, being employed by fee - paying members of the public to catch criminals and present them before a magistrate . </P> <P> By 1798, the year the Marine Police Force was established, salaried constables were being paid by local magistrates . The Marine Police was initially made up of 220 Constables assisted by 1,000 registered dock workers, and was responsible for preventing the theft of cargo in and around the River Thames . The London Marine Police Force is widely regarded as being the first modern police force in the world, in the sense that they were not government controlled and were responsible for the prevention of crime . In its first year of operation 2,000 offenders were found guilty of theft from the docks . This success led to the enacting of the Marine Police Bill, which made it the first publicly funded preventive police force in the history of English policing . In 1839, the Marine Police amalgamated with the Metropolitan Police to form the Thames Division, being recently renamed to the Marine Policing Unit . Although this has previously been the basis for a claim by the Metropolitan Police to be the oldest police force in the world, it ceased making such claims when it entered into a written undertaking with the Advertising Standards Authority not to do so, following a complaint to the ASA (upheld) that this claim is untrue.) </P> <P> The lack of organisation and efficiency of early law enforcement was often a source of public controversy . Because of this, a parliamentary committee was appointed to investigate the current system of policing . Upon Sir Robert Peel being appointed as Home Secretary in 1822, he established a second and more effective committee, and acted upon its findings . Robert Peel, believing that the way to standardise the police was to make it an official paid profession, to organise it in a civilian fashion, and to make it answerable to the public . After he presented his ideas to Parliament, they were approved and made official with the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 . </P> <P> During the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution witnessed London becoming larger geographically and more significant economically . It became clear that the locally maintained system of volunteer constables and "watchmen" was ineffective, both in detecting and preventing crime . Due to this, Royal Assent was given to the Metropolitan Police Act on 19 June 1829, placing the policing arrangements for the capital directly under the control of Sir Robert Peel . </P>

The metropolitan police in london was established by