In the Eighteenth Century, the closest thing that existed to the current idea of a government police force were the town constables and watchmen. The constable was generally an unpaid position, and as such as times worsened, the quality of man who became a constable declined. This was even more true of the watchmen. The Nightly Watch was first imposed by Edward I, but according to Reith "the post of watchman was considered to be beneath the dignity and self-respect of any able-bodied man, and those who functioned or tried to function were old, feeble, and decrepit, and utterly useless for the work they were supposed to do" (17). Many citizens felt that to create a government police force would rob them of their liberties, so there was great opposition to the notion. Instead, the government tried to compensate by passing more and more laws, which were generally ineffectual. With the lack of any unified police force, crime escalated throughout the eighteenth century.