ABSTRACT
The office of constable in England and Wales is very ancient. The constable was the executive agent of the village or township, and also its representative. Mutual aid in some form or other has existed since the formation of modern police forces – big forces frequently helped smaller ones with complex investigations or in dealing with abnormal disorder. Constables in the police forces that were formed after 1829 had, in general terms, jurisdiction in their own force area and in those areas immediately adjacent. The Committee of Inquiry under Lord Desborough reported on 14 July 1919 and recommended increased pay rates, a plan for a representative body for the police and banning of trade union membership. The 1919 Act also set up the Police Federation designed to represent the interests of members of police forces. An indictment lies at common law against a public officer for neglecting the duties required of him by common law or by statute.
