Unemployed older men became night watchmen. These night watchmen caught criminals and if they required help, they could use greggers or noisemaking rattles to signal parish constables.

.

In addition, private "thief-takers" could be hired by victims of crime to apprehend criminals.

.

In 1748, Chief Magistrate Henry Fielding founded the Bow Street Runners ("runner" being a synonym for "thief-taker"). The Bow Street Runners wore a blue dress coat with brass buttons and a red waistcoat, which caused them to be referred to as the "Robin Redbreasts". The Bow Street Runners were something between barristers and thief-takers.

.

In 1752, Henry Fielding used his own publication, "The Covent Garden Journal", to invite victims of crime to contact him with details of the crimes committed against them, including properties stolen. Advertisements were then placed in the journal for the recovery of these items, usually with a reward attached for finding the perpetrator or the property. The success of these advertisements encouraged others to publish journals dedicated to describing criminals and offenses, beginning with a publication by Henry Fielding's half-brother John, "The Public Advertiser". The Public Advertiser eventually became a weekly journal called "The Public Hue and Cry"; later "The Police Gazette."

.

In 1754, Henry Fielding was replaced by his half-brother, John Fielding.

.

On September 29, 1829, Robert Peel, 2^nd Baronet created the Metropolitan Police.

.

Police magistrates were able to try "minor offenses" — vagrancy, drunkenness, minor larceny and prostitution — without a jury and sentence the guilty to hard labor. Thus, they created a way to bypass any checks on the justice system. Police magistrate Alan Laing of 52-3 Hatton Street, was Charles Dickens' model for the police magistrate "Mr. Fang of Mutton Hill" in "Oliver Twist". Dickens wrote that he "sought a magistrate whose harshness and insolence would render him a fit subject ..." ("Oliver Twist" Penguin ed., 2002, p. 498) and found Mr. Laing an appropriate figure.

.