A History of Police in England

"A History of Police in England" by W. L. Melville Lee is a journey through the development of law enforcement in England, starting from the early Anglo-Saxon times and continuing through the 1800s. The story looks at the ideas, political forces, and effects on society that shaped how policing grew in England, showing how it was different from other places. At the start, the book explains why it is important to study policing and points out that there weren't many detailed books about it when it was written. Lee talks about why we need to know how police duties changed over time and how they affected things like public safety, freedom, and what people felt responsible for in society. He draws a comparison between the old ways of keeping order and what we expect now, and he says it's important to understand the history that led to how policing works in England today.