In Britain today all policemen are commonly referred to as 'Bobbies'! Originally though, they were known as 'Peelers' in reference to one Sir Robert Peel (1788 – 1850). Today it is hard to believe that Britain in the 18th century did not have a professional police force.
In the 18th century law enforcement and policing was left entirely to local initiative. There was no nationally organised police force.
constable: The first appointed law enforcement officers in colonial America. They often organized and supervised the watch. In larger villages, constables were responsible for organizing and supervising the watch. The watch consisted of men who would watch the town, especially at night.
1810 - 1850
Initially in rural areas, Police were appointed by the local Justices of the Peace and became known as Bench Police or "benchers."
Police have been called ''pigs'' since the early 19th century, simply because it is insulting in nature. People had been referred to as pigs for centuries prior to it becoming part of the slang for law enforcement. It was first noted in an 1811 dictionary on slang that was written in Great Britain.
In Britain today all policemen are commonly referred to as 'Bobbies'! Originally though, they were known as 'Peelers' in reference to one Sir Robert Peel (1788 – 1850).
The fuzz, slang for the police, is from 1929, while cop a plea is from 1925.
Initially in rural areas, Police were appointed by the local Justices of the Peace and became known as Bench Police or "benchers."
Watchmen were organised groups of men, usually authorised by a state, government, city, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement as well as traditionally perform the services of public safety, fire watch, crime prevention, crime detection, and recovery of stolen goods.
The Vigiles or more properly the Vigiles Urbani ("watchmen of the City") or Cohortes Vigilum ("cohorts of the watchmen") were the firefighters and police of ancient Rome.
The word "cop might stem from the fact that a policeman was once called a Constable on Patrol, or COP.
The origins of modern-day policing can be traced back to the "Slave Patrol." The earliest formal slave patrol was created in the Carolinas in the early 1700s with one mission: to establish a system of terror and squash slave uprisings with the capacity to pursue, apprehend, and return runaway slaves to their owners.
bobby, slang term for a member of London's Metropolitan Police derived from the name of Sir Robert Peel, who established the force in 1829. Police officers in London are also known as “peelers” for the same reason.
Two nicknames for British police, 'bobbies' and 'Peelers', come from the founder of the 'Met' Police, Sir Robert Peel. The Metropolitan Police Marine Support patrols the River Thames in speedboats.
Fuzz. Fuzz, referring to the police force, originated in America in 1929. A fuzzy, meanwhile, was a term from 1931 and referred to a policeman who was "very diligent in enforcing the law."
Hence they were also called "auto bandits" or desperadoes. Mobsters earned their money by providing illegal goods and services. They were most famous for bootlegging, but also managed gambling, prostitution, and abortion.
Particularly in the UK, GUV is a slang term for "boss". It comes from the word "governor," said with a London accent. Other words for "boss," especially in gangland and organized crime circles, include: Baas.
Old Bill became the nickname for the Met police following the Great War after the fashion for wearing moustaches that looked very like the soldier cartoon character Old Bill, by George Bairnsfather.
The inspiration for the name initially came from Lt. Col. (U.S. Army Ret.) Dave Grossman's book On Combat, where he frequently used the term “sheepdog” to refer to all those in our society who serve as the protectors — police, firefighters, EMTs, and military men and women.
According to National Public Radio's A Way With Words, its first use was a general derogatory term for anyone who is disagreeable, overweight or taking more than their share. In 1874, a slang dictionary published in London listed the definition of pig as “a policeman, an informer.
Specialist Response Group | Australian Federal Police.
Law enforcement in Ireland
The Republic of Ireland has one national civilian police force, called “An Garda Síochána”, meaning 'Guardians of the Peace of Ireland'. It has 14,500 staff members and provides both local and national law enforcement services. It is commonly referred to as “Garda”.