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Where did you get this idea about the origins of police? It doesn’t agree with the history on Wikipedia, or my understanding of their origin (having more to do

by nickff 2y ago

Where did you get this idea about the origins of police? It doesn’t agree with the history on Wikipedia, or my understanding of their origin (having more to do with rulers maintaining order). Corporations, and what you call ‘businesses’ are a very modern concept, long predated by rulers, courts, and police. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police

mingus88 2y ago
OP’s description of police sounds very similar to the history of the Pinkerton organization in the U.S. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency) Fast forward to today and it’s very common for private security to be composed of ex-cops and former military, creating a very fluid dynamic of all policing as a paramilitary organization in support of capitalism.
boomboomsubban 2y ago
From your link >The first example of a statutory police force in the world was probably the High Constables of Edinburgh, formed in 1611 to police the streets of Edinburgh, then part of the Kingdom of Scotland. The constables, of whom half were merchants and half were craftsmen, were charged with enforcing 16 regulations relating to curfews, weapons, and theft. That sounds a lot like businesses working with government to secure their property.
- nickff 2y ago
  Those 'statutory police' were predated by others by thousands of years, and it seems more like the king enlisted business owners to enforce the king's laws in the city than 'paid security forces of business owners'.
- gravescale 2y ago
  Conversely, one of the first recognisably modern police force was Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police, which was explicitly not paramilitary and had (still does) a mandate to police by consent according to what are now called the Peelian Principles which quickly spread all round the country. This replaced, rather then grew out of, a mishmash of informal local watchmen and constables.

by nickff 2y ago

mingus88 2y ago

OP’s description of police sounds very similar to the history of the Pinkerton organization in the U.S. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency) Fast forward to today and it’s very common for private security to be composed of ex-cops and former military, creating a very fluid dynamic of all policing as a paramilitary organization in support of capitalism.

boomboomsubban 2y ago

From your link >The first example of a statutory police force in the world was probably the High Constables of Edinburgh, formed in 1611 to police the streets of Edinburgh, then part of the Kingdom of Scotland. The constables, of whom half were merchants and half were craftsmen, were charged with enforcing 16 regulations relating to curfews, weapons, and theft. That sounds a lot like businesses working with government to secure their property.

nickff 2y ago
Those 'statutory police' were predated by others by thousands of years, and it seems more like the king enlisted business owners to enforce the king's laws in the city than 'paid security forces of business owners'.
gravescale 2y ago
Conversely, one of the first recognisably modern police force was Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police, which was explicitly not paramilitary and had (still does) a mandate to police by consent according to what are now called the Peelian Principles which quickly spread all round the country. This replaced, rather then grew out of, a mishmash of informal local watchmen and constables.