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4 Police Stud.: Int'l Rev. Police Dev. 67 (1981-1982)
The Paramilitary Model of Police and Police Professionalism

handle is hein.journals/polic4 and id is 113 raw text is: The Paramilitary Model of Police and Police Professionalism James H. Auten University of Illinois Police Training Institute, U.S.A. The precise nature of early policing is clouded sufficiently to obscure the exact structure of the organizations that provided police ser- vices. However, we do know that in many in- stances the early policing responsibilities of order maintenance and the protection of life and property were quite likely fulfilled by the military. For example, in 27 B.C., a military police unit, the Praetorian Guard, was created to maintain security at the palace of the Emperor Augustus.1 Not only was such the case in Rome, but policemen, as such, .... were known in ancient China and Egypt thousands of years ago but were usually military men under military command.. . . '2 It seems safe to presume that if the policing services were be- ing provided by military personnel, then they were working within the framework of a mili- tary organizational structure. We may also presume that if police services were being provided elsewhere in the world, although unrecorded, then they were also being provided by military personnel who were also functioning within a military organizational environment. The modern police era was ushered in with the creation of the London Metropolitan Police in 1829. Two commissioners, one a barrister and the other a former officer in the British army, were selected to oversee the organiza- tion and operation of the agency. If one consid- ers the organizational form assumed by the London Metropolitan Police it is evident that the agency was organized along military or paramilitary lines. In looking at the history of the early British police, one recognizes that the literal definition of paramilitary is an exact description of the organization founded by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. It is quite likely that this organizational structure emerged for several reasons. The first of these is directly related to Peel himself. Not only did Peel create the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829-1830, but he also developed the principles that guided the organization and operation of the new police. In looking at these principles, we find that the initial one listed by Peel states, The police must be stable, efficient and organized along military lines.'3 Additionally, Peel singled out former non-commissioned officers in the military as being particularly suited for inclu- sion in the department. The second reason relates to the fact that there was virtually no other organizational model to emulate. The various organizational and management theories that exist today did not exist in 1829. The only other organizational model in existence, other than the military, with a proven track record was the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican Church. Even though the church is not a military organiza- tion in the strict sense of the term, one would be hard pressed to find a more paramilitary organization, then and today. Third, one must recognize the role and set- ting into which the London Metropolitan Police were cast. Prior to their creation, Great Britain had been racked by a serious depres- sion, vast unemployment, widespread civil dis- order, and a crime rate that was running wild. In London in 1828, it is estimated that one per- son in every 383 was a criminal.' The govern- ment had tried several measures to deal with the various factors that were destroying the fabric of society, one of which was the applica- tion of military force. None of these measures seemed to have the desired results and the Lon- don Metropolitan Police emerged as a possible solution to part of the problem, the excessive incidence of crime. This overriding objective was clearly set forth in the early Instructions and Police Orders issued to members of the force. These stated, It should be understood, at the outset, that the principal object to be at- tained is the prevention of crime.'' Therefore, the new police were cast into the role of preventing crime and were in part replacing

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