There were secret police forces as far back at the 2nd and 3rd Centuries, as difficult as that may be to believe. And it was the uniform-clad frumentarii who were tasked with protecting the Roman Empire. Operating from a base at the Castra Peregrina in Rome, this order started life as grain suppliers to the imperial army before eventually evolving into the empire's secret police force. Hated by the entire Roman populous, this force believed it their imperial objective to persecute Christians, assassinate political opponents and think-up false charges by which to punish people in order to keep the empire in order. However, eventually the general Roman public got their way and the force was disbanded by Emperor Diocletian. Despite the public's loathing of them, so proud were they of their own status that the frumentarii had their rank and emblem positioned in a prominent place on their own gravestones.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.