In England and Wales, watch committees were the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-lo ...

bodies which oversaw policing from 1835 until, in some areas, 1968.

Establishment

The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 required each borough to establish a "watch committee" and to appoint

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

s to 'preserve the peace'.

Disestablishment

From 1889 counties switched to using "standing joint committees" which also had

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

s among their members. For police forces working within a single borough, watch committees were retained. The Police Act 1964 replaced both sets of bodies with police authorities, comprising two-thirds elected members of county or borough

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

s, and one-third magistrates.

References

{{Reflist * Municipal Corporations Act 1835 * Police Act 1964 Law enforcement in England and Wales Local government in England Local government in Wales