Abstract: Daniel Defoe was a significant figure in English literary history, best known worldwide for his novel “Robinson Crusoe”. As a social commentator and political thinker, Defoe offered profound reflections and critiques on the social issues of early 18th-century London, including city policing problems. His proposals for improving city policing—such as increasing street lighting to reduce night time crime, reforming the watchman system and establishing a professional policing force, and clearing out criminal dens in the city—were directed at the practical problems facing London society at the time. These proposals contributed to the establishment of London’s night public lighting system and the reform of its municipal policing system. Defoe’s ideas and recommendations had a profound influence on city policing and governance in 18th-century England, and his insights into social reform remain worthy of attention and study.
Key Words: Defoe, London, City Policing in 18th century
Published on Urban History Research, No.50, 2026.
