Named after Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, the image of the British Bobby is a unique one. Most people would still associate the term ‘British Bobby’ with someone that looks like the lead character from the 60s drama serial ‘Dixon of Dock Green’. The tall dome shaped helmet is not always seen today, although it is still part of the uniform of many ‘bobby on the beat’ nowadays. For so many years, however, it was standard issue and gave the British Bobby a look that distinguished it from other Police Forces around the world.
Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister during the mid 19th century, but created the ‘bobbies’, also known as the ‘peelers’ in Ireland, whilst serving as Home Secretary. The idea of a policeman patrolling his neighbourhood and keeping a sense of law and order became part of the British way of life. For the best part of the next two centuries it was quite normal for each area to have a ‘bobby on the beat’ who would become very much a part of the local community and he would even have normally grown up in there. There have always been some areas where it would not be safe for a single bobby to patrol, but mostly the job would have been done by one policeman alone; who would call for assistance if needed. In the past, the policeman would rely on his whistle to alert others. In latter days the radio supplanted the whistle. Sadly in recent decades, it has become a more familiar sight to see at least two members of the police force together; probably wearing some kind of protective armour due to the increased use of knives by miscreants.
For a time the ‘bobby on the beat’ seemed to disappear altogether, replaced by ‘panda car’ patrols. This served to remove the police from the community and create suspicion and fear between the police and members of the community. Many initiatives have occurred in the last decade or so to reintroduce the idea of ‘community policing; which have helped to rebuild the bond between the police and the people they are supposed to be protecting.
However, it seems certain that the image of ‘Dixon of Dock Green’; the local bobby who knows the community and its characters, who stops in for a cup of tea and a chat and who is totally trusted by all but the criminals in the community; has probably gone forever.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
Brit Quote: |
|
On this day: |