Historical and political context Įngland in the seventeenth and eighteenth century suffered a great deal of political and economic disorders that brought violence into its streets. 5 A polished image: the Bow Street Runners.4 Mention in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey.1.3 Law enforcement in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Government-funded rewards for the capture of criminals were a corrupting influence, leading directly to the Macdaniel scandal. However, they were often corrupt themselves, for example extorting protection money from the crooks they were supposed to catch. Sometimes, thief-takers would act as go-betweens, negotiating the return of stolen goods for a fee. Both types also collected bounties offered by the authorities. However, thief-takers were usually hired by crime victims, while bounty hunters were paid by bail bondsmen to catch fugitives who skipped their court appearances and hence forfeited their bail. These were private individuals much like bounty hunters.
With the rising crime rate and newspapers to bring this to the attention of the public, thief-takers arose to partially fill the void in bringing criminals to justice.
#THE VERY ORGANISED THIEF ONLINE PROFESSIONAL#
The widespread establishment of professional police in England did not occur until the 19th century. In English legal history, a thief-taker was a private individual hired to capture criminals. Watchman, bounty hunter, bail bondsman, slave catcher, private policeman, police officer