The necessity for a better police organisation in London much exercised the public mind during the early decades of the nineteenth century. At length, in 1830, Sir Robert Peel introduced a new scheme, the germ of the present admirable forces. In doing so he briefly recapitulated the shortcomings and defects of the system, or want of system, that then prevailed; he pointed out how many glaring evils had survived the repeated inquiries and consequent proposals for reform. Parliamentary Committees had reported year after year from 1770 to 1828, all of them unanimously of opinion that in the public interest, to combat the steady increase of crime a better method of prevention and protection was peremptorily demanded. Yet nothing had been done. The agitation had always subsided as soon as the immediate alarm was forgotten. So this opulent city, with its teeming population and abounding wealth, was still mainly dependent upon the parochial watch: the safe-keeping of both was entrusted to a handful of feeble old men, an obsolete body without system or authority. That crime had increased by "leaps and bounds" was shown by the figures. It was out of all proportion to the growth of the people. In 1828 as compared with 1821 there had been an increase of 41 per cent in committals, as against 15-1/2 per cent in population, and the ratio was one criminal to every 822 of the population. This was in London alone. In the provinces the increase was as 26 per cent of crime against 11-1/2 per cent of population.