How Peel Street reminds of principles still relevant to policing in Hong Kong

Strolling down Peel Street in Central, you don't just find old shops and traces of colonial memories. You may also be inspired.

The street, one of the city's oldest, was built in the early 1840s and named after Robert Peel, who served twice as British prime minister.

Peel was a reformer. He introduced the Metropolitan Police Act, which the British parliament passed in 1829, marking the beginning of modern, civic policing.

Under the new law, the reformed police force became a full-time, salaried and uniformed constabulary, employed based on merit and carrying batons instead of invasive weapons to keep the public peace. It was accountable to the home secretary through salaried police commissioners.

The police contrasted sharply with the army, in which purchases of commissions by aristocrats and landowners were common, and the local parish watchmen, who were part-time and voluntary.

Later, a set of principles of ethical policing, or policing by consent, emerged. Although widely referred to as the Peelian principles for decades, it was clear that Peel did not author them. Rather, they were created by academics and practitioners during democratic state-building in the 20th century.

The Peelian principles are not constitutional principles, laws or any kind of enforceable rules. They are guidelines widely taught in police colleges and used in educating the public about the role of policing and how it is to be conducted. The core idea is that policing is an alternative to military repression and severe legal punishment. It is to prevent crimes, maintain civil peace and preserve life based on public approval and cooperation. It is important for the police to provide absolute impartial service to the law.