With a large number of robberies and depredations occurring in Fairford in recent memory the residents thought it best to enlist the services of a paid Policeman to restore order in 1835. Although a parish constable had already been appointed they were not found to have the same effect as they envisioned a full time paid Policeman operating under the scheme implemented with the Metropolitan Police in London might attain. With the success of the placement of two former Police Officers of the Metropolitan Police in Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire, many of the neighbouring parishes looked to emulate that model, hoping to enjoy similar results themselves. The Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police were therefore applied to from Fairford with the request to recommend a proper and competent Police Officer from among their ranks to organise and lead the Police presence in Fairford. Mr Samuel Beaumont, a Police Officer of the Metropolitan Police for six years, was put forward, approved of and engaged at Fairford in October of 1835 with a salary of £80 a year.

Police Constable Beaumont proved himself a very active Policeman at Fairford. By his exertions the number of plunderers was soon reduced though the number of robberies was probably in no way similarly diminished. Before Police Constable Beaumont had been in the parish five weeks, as many burglaries had been committed there.

It was some time, not until the evening of Christmas day in 1836, that the thief was to finally be detected, when a shopkeeper returned home with his family from visiting friends and discovered someone had broken into his home and stolen several items including a goose from the pantry, an air gun and a half dozen silk handkerchiefs.

Upon the shopkeeper discussing the theft the next morning with the grocer and others it came to light the grocer had some time before lost several boxes of French plums. The hairdresser also took part in the discussion, from whom Police Constable Beaumont rented a room, raising suspicion when he mentioned he had observed French plums in the room of their Policeman. Police Constable Beaumont was also seen in the passage by the shopkeeper's house on the night of the most recent theft, two doors down from his own. On the strength of these details a warrant was obtained and it was served by the parish constable and bookseller, Mr John Giles. Mr Giles took Police Constable Beaumont into custody, informed him of the charge and accompanied him to his room in order to conduct a search for the stolen articles.

When they reached his lodgings Police Constable Beaumont led the way into his bedroom where he produced a key and unlocked a large box of the type used for storing clothes. In the box were found the goose, with the ticket still around the neck naming the shopkeeper as its purchaser, the air gun, six handkerchiefs and a silver spoon among other items but these Police Constable Beaumont quickly hid from view as they were not subject to the warrant. After the search, and distraught in the knowledge of what he had done and now regretted, when Police Constable Beaumont returned downstairs to the shop of the hairdresser he took up a razor and attempted to slit his throat before the parish constable prevented him by seizing his hand.

Whilst in custody, Police Constable Beaumont broke down in tears and attempted to bribe his way free of the charges by offering the £50 he had in his pocket as well as a further £3000 he expected in the course of six months - no doubt the spoils from his previous plundering. This opened up a broader investigation as it was known a day or two previous Police Constable Beaumont had sent a parcel to London that was now suspected to have contained stolen goods. The address to which it was sent was obtained and a letter sent to Colonel Rowan, one of the Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police, who despatched a Police Officer to the place to secure the parcel for the purpose of returning it to Fairford for further examination. Once opened back at Fairford the parcel was found to contain additional stolen items including a gun and two fishing rods. Mr Beaumont was committed to Gloucester gaol until his trial which was scheduled for the next Lent Assizes in April.

At his trial, after hearing the evidence relating to the theft that had exposed him, the former Police Constable, aged 36, was found guilty of the charge by the jury after about ten minutes of deliberation. He was then arraigned on a second indictment, for the theft on 12th December of three silver spoons but was found not guilty as there was nothing further to implicate him other than their possession. A third indictment of a similar nature was not proceeded with.

Sentencing was deferred until the following Monday morning, in order to have time to take into consideration all of the circumstances with a view to be as lenient in the sentence as possible to the former Policeman whilst upholding the Court's duty to the public. However, it weighed heavily on the Judge when deciding on the sentence that Police Constable Beaumont had been sent down to Fairford for the protection of the inhabitants and, in this role, he took advantage of opportunities to commit depredations which otherwise would have been considered suspicious situations but would instead be supposed as an indication of his watchfulness and vigilance in the execution of his duty. As he had taken advantage of this trust, it was determined the most severe sentence the law permitted should be levied, that he be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for one week, as a matter of course, and afterwards transported for life.

After being held a few days at the County Gaol, on 18th April he was moved, along with eleven other prisoners, to the prison hulk HMS Justitia at Woolwich, a decommissioned twenty gun storeship converted to a floating prison. In the Justitia register of prisoners he was listed as prisoner number 2967 with the occupation of "labourer". That he should not be listed as a Police Constable is not unusual as even the entries in the register for the Gloucestershire Constabulary listed the occupations of the joiners from the Irish Constabulary as those they practised previous to joining the Police. On 18th May Mr Beaumont was released from the Justitia to be transported to New South Wales, Australia.

Until the Gloucestershire Constabulary were established on 1st December 1839, and subsequently posted Police Officers to Fairford in 1840, the inhabitants of Fairford were content with having only a parish constable, Mr Thomas Lee, appointed for the Town. Some of the inhabitants had not been all that fond of their Policeman from the start, or the Police in general as, when Police Constable Beaumont was initially taken into custody in the Town for the theft, the parish bells were rung in celebration.