How did criminal activity in Britain change from 1700 to 1900?

British society changed a great deal in the two centuries between 1700 and 1900, and many of these changes had an impact on crime. First, the population more than quadrupled, from about 8,500,000 to somewhere in the region of 40,000,000. This population became increasingly urban and also much more mobile, as transport links improved. Highway robbery became more common in the eighteenth century, but decreased in the second half of the nineteenth century with the advent of the train. Petty crimes such as pickpocketing became rife in London and the new industrial cities, such as Manchester and Liverpool.

It is difficult to be sure how much crime increased in this time period, because it is certain that the reporting of crime increased dramatically in the nineteenth century. This is true both of official reporting and informal reporting in the press. The Metropolitan Police Force was founded in 1829, and regional forces soon followed, making the processing of crime a more regular and routine affair. As wealth increased, so did crimes against property, particularly domestic burglary, but violent crimes do not appear to have increased at a faster rate than the growth of the population and may have declined when the increase in reporting is taken into account.

It appears that overall crime increased most sharply in the decades between 1770 and 1830, after which the regional police forces seem to have been influential in bringing it under control.

How did criminal activity change in Britain during the 1750-1900 industrial revolution?

The industrial revolution produced a major change in British society, as it resulted not only in a massive shift with regard to manufacturing processes, but it also led to an increased divide between the rich and the poor. You should therefore stress that it is not surprising that criminal activity was also one of the many areas of life that was affected by the changes brought upon Britain by the industrial revolution.

For example, you might want to point out the fact that towns and cities suddenly attracted more people, which led to urbanization. Many towns and cities in Britain, like Manchester, began to grow and grow. While the rich were able to afford nice and big houses in these towns, enjoying a lifestyle of luxury, many of the poor were forced to live in squalor and under horrible conditions. This led to an increase of petty crimes, such as theft and pickpocketing, as many poor people had no choice but to resort to criminal activity to earn money to provide for themselves and their families.

Given that life in big towns and cities was a lot more anonymous compared to life in the country, these growing towns and cities also attracted a lot more criminals and organized crime compared to the time before the industrial revolution. You can explain this with the fact that it would have been much easier to commit crimes in big, anonymous cities as opposed to committing a crime in a small, rural community.