London police are well known in the world. Today there are policemen everywhere, but in 1700 there was no policeman in London at all. A few old men used to protect the city streets at night, and they were not paid very much. About 300 years ago, London started to get bigger. The city was very dirty and many people were poor. There were so many thieves who stole money in the streets that people had to stay in their homes as much as possible. In 1750, Henry Fielding started to pay a group of people to stop thieves. They were like policemen and were called "Bow Street Runners" because they worked near Bow Street. Fifty years later, there were 120 Bow Street Runners, but London had become very big and needed more policemen. So, in 1829, the first London Police Force was started with 3,000 officers. Most of the men worked on foot, but a few rode horses. There was no policewoman in London until 1920. Today, London police are quite well paid and only a few police officers still ride horses. Perhaps the London Police Force's greatest achievement   is to meet changing  conditions and provide excellent police service  . The two main reasons for the Force's development were the growth of population and the progress of science and technology. London had 120 Bow Street Runners in the year of   _  .
1700 1750 1800 1829