Blue Heelers (Noun) This term is so popular that a show about Australian police officers was named after it. They call cops blue heelers because they remind them of the Blue Heeler Cattle dog.
traps, trappers or jacks – police. These Australianisms have been largely replaced by the international cops, coppers, pigs or bacon. However the older, more affectionate wallopers is also still used.
The term popo, sometimes written as po-po, is slang for law enforcement personnel that's believed to have originated in the United States in the mid-1990s. It is considered street terminology.
J. English/Australian slang term short for jackboots. The term can be used to describe a police officer, informant or an unreliable person. "To go jack on a mate" is the act of betraying associates or implicating them in a crime.
Booze bus: the slang name for a police vehicle that issues breath tests to catch drink drivers. Bottle-o: this is what Aussies often call a liquor store.
A postie is an ordinarily-sized postman or postwoman, and a derro is an ordinarily-sized derelict.”
In London, the policemen were so identified with the politician who created them that they were referred to as “Peelers” or—more memorably—“Bobbies,” after the popular nickname for Robert.
“Hard yakka” means work hard. The word “yakka” – which first appeared in the 1840s – derives from the word for work (yaga). It comes from Yagara, an Indigenous language in Australia.
bloke – man or guy
A stereotype of a typical Australian man: loves beer, sport and barbies. It's similar to “chap”or “fella”.
Cop is an informal, somewhat derogatory word for a police officer.
For example, the words policeman and stewardess are gender-specific job titles; the corresponding gender-neutral terms are police officer and flight attendant.
12 is a slang term for police or any law enforcement officials of uncertain origin. Possible sources include the police radio code "10-12" and the 1968 TV show Adam-12, which followed two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and their patrol car, "1-Adam-12."
A silent cop, also referred to as a "sleeping policeman" or a "traffic dome", is a traffic management device formerly widely used in Australia. It consisted of a metal or concrete dome, about 400 mm (16 in) wide and about 125 mm (5 in) tall, embedded in the road surface.
The results of a national survey of public attitudes to police and police services reported here indicates that Australians are more respectful of their police, and pleased with the assistance they provide, than some observers have suggested.
larrikin, Australian slang term of unknown origin popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It signifies a young hoodlum or hooligan in the impoverished subculture of urban Australia.
Aussie Word of the Week
Australia's colourful bank notes are known by many colloquial names. The twenty-dollar note is referred to as a lobster, while the fifty-dollar note is called a pineapple, and don't we all want to get our hands on a few jolly green giants, that is, hundred-dollar notes?
Munted (mun-ted) / Drunk.
It is important for us to ask and know whether you identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, so we can work together to build safer communities and reduce over-representation in the criminal justice system.
Offensive names
However many may not be aware that shortening the term 'Aboriginal' to 'Abo' is highly offensive to Indigenous people due to historical usage and is considered a derogatory term, as 'Koon' or 'Boong' are. It's best to avoid these slurs in general.
Koori is a term denoting an Aboriginal person of southern New South Wales or Victoria. 'Koori' is not a synonym for 'Aboriginal'. There are many other Aboriginal groups across Australia (such as Murri, Noongar, Yolngu) with which Indigenous Australians may identify themselves.
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.
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”.
'Lass' or 'lassie' is another word for 'girl'. This is mainly in the north of England and Scotland.