The definition of police in the dictionary is "the organized civil force of a state, concerned with the maintenance of law and order, the detection and prevention of crime, etc." (Collins English Dictionary, 2002). This definition establishes the minimum of what the police actually do. Providing support to families, protecting society from criminals and responding to calls 24/7 are just some of the other roles the police face. In this essay, the evolution of policing and how the police are addressing the challenges will be discussed. Policing is continually developing and has been since the beginning of informal policing which stipulated that everyone living in a society should be responsible for maintaining the peace (Engel, R. 2012). The evolution of the police first began in the Anglo-Saxon era in which they introduced a Tything. A Tything were a group of 10 families who discussed concerns and mutual protection (A History of Policing, 1998). During this period the second phase of development had occurred; this was assigning informal policing roles to some members of society (Engel, R. 2012). This paved the way for a more centralized system which saw some changes in structure by the Normans. A local justice system was introduced into this system (A History of Police, 1998). It was only in the 18th century that formal policing began to emerge and was the last phase of police development. Specific members of the public would be given formal responsibility to care for the community (Engel, R. 2012). 1829 saw the innovation of the Metropolitan Police as a result of the Industrial Revolution which led to an escalation of crime, as well as the final stage of development of the police (...... middle of paper ......he-police_1 .> Last accessed: 31 December 2013.Dempsey, J. Forst, L (2011) 6th edition London: Cengage Learning.Engel, R. (2012). pages/1647/Police-History.html Last accessed 6 January 2014. Fahy, Sir P. (2013). [Online] Available: Last accessed 3 January 2014. Metropolitan Police (ND). /www.met.police.uk/pcso/.> Last accessed 30 December 2013. Rogers, C. Lewis, R (2007). 2013.