Simply Media - On the Beat The British Policeman 1900-1984 (2007)

Retired Inspector Danny Ewington of the Greater Manchester Police Museum is your guide to the changing face of the British Police Force over the 20th century.

Using numerous rare and never before seen film clips, newsreels and short films, On the Beat reveals how the work of the police force has changed over the decades with the introduction of new technology, new methods of policing and a need to respond to new challenges.

Following some of the earliest surviving footage of the British Bobby, a film from 1917 captures the typical duties of London police officers including traffic control and escorting military parades. From the 1940s comes a fascinating look at the “War Reserve” who replaced regular officers serving overseas, as well as a chilling foretaste of an increasingly violent society that needed policing.

A review of the 1950s includes an American look at the “British Bobby”, new procedures at Scotland Yard and the introduction of CCTV and radar speed traps, plus a record of a day in the life of a typical PC. Policing in the 1960s is covered by a look at police women, the move to Victoria of New Scotland Yard, the introduction of the Unit Beat System and policing Vietnam War Demonstrations.

The 1970s is illustrated with a look at the new Photofit system, the opening of the Peel Centre at Hendon and a gripping account of early community policing in Liverpool. Finally, from 1984, the film Police Officer illustrates how shared intelligence can yield better results in the fight against crime…

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