This book traces the history of the Metropolitan Police from its origins in the mediaeval partnership of justices and constables, through the long years of struggle for public acceptance, down to the disorderly climate of our time. Brilliantly researched, it is a unique study of a unique institution, critical, funny, often disturbing, always readable. This remarkable book invites debate and illuminates the unchanging problem of the maintenance of law and order in a complex democratic society.