Since there were never more than fifteen at a time, they were slightly outnumbered by the criminals. For eighty years, they were the only thief takers in London. These ‘Bow Street Runners’ wore red vests and carried pistols. This was, in essence, the first police force in London. Fielding hired nine men to go out and catch criminals. In 1748, Henry Fielding succeeded Thomas de Veil as Court Justice for Middlesex and Westminster, with headquarters on Bow Street. Scotland Yard was actually the descendant of an earlier police force in London. None ever outsmarted Holmes (though one came pretty close) and most of them are adrift until Holmes reveals all at the end of the story. One can safely say that Doyle’s portrayal of the men of the force was somewhat less than flattering. The most common official police force encountered during Holmes’s sixty cases was Scotland Yard.
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