Were there any detectives in 1852?

Question:. Yes The London Metropolitan Police force was established in 1829 the plain clothes officers existed shortly after around the 1840s the detective branch was in existence.
Sherlock Homes stories where supposed to take place shortly after Afghan Campaign in the early 1820s.
Pinkerton's detective agency was formed around the 1850s in the USA. There where already several different agencies in the new york area.
I know this is not overly accurate however plain clothes offices where in existence since the start of the police force. They did the same thing. A detectives originally meant a person hired privately as an agent for another person to do certain things. Queen Victoria was notorious for having detectives protecting her who worked for Scotland Yard.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: . Yes The London Metropolitan Police force was established in 1829 the plain clothes officers existed shortly after around the 1840s the detective branch was in existence.
Sherlock Homes stories where supposed to take place shortly after Afghan Campaign in the early 1820s.
Pinkerton's detective agency was formed around the 1850s in the USA. There where already several different agencies in the new york area.
I know this is not overly accurate however plain clothes offices where in existence since the start of the police force. They did the same thing. A detectives originally meant a person hired privately as an agent for another person to do certain things. Queen Victoria was notorious for having detectives protecting her who worked for Scotland Yard.

Yes most certainly there were - crime was definitely investigated (look at murders throughout history), however the people investigating them were typically chosen on the basis of their social standing or military prowess. Under the continental (or Napoleonic) system, the investigator, prosecutor and judge were typically the same person, however under English law (which formed the basis for American law among others) the powers were separated.

The concept of a police force, as distinct from the army or local vigilante groups, seems to have originated in the early 1800s in London and Paris.

Hope this is of some help.

I just watched the ITV programme 'city of vice' about the establishment of the Bow Street Runners, set up by the guy who wrote 'Tom Jones' he was called Henry Fielding and worked with his brother John in the late 1700s to try to get London out of the grips of vice. It was great, you might be able to get it on DVD. i suppose they were early detectives.

The Pinkerton men were the most successful detectives of the era. They were hired out on 6 continents and brought down serious criminals quickly. Of course, civil rights were interpreted a bit "differently" back then...especially when there were no witnesses around.

I wish people would say which country they are asking about!
There were no detectives in Patagonia in 1852.

Yes - you may find the history of Pinkerton interesting...

"Allen Pinkerton (1819-1884) developed the modern detective agency. After working as a deputy sheriff in Cook County, IL, he opened the agency in 1852"

Look up Molly Maguires