London Bobbies

Everybody knows the London Bobby, here he is!

The helmet is very distinctive and was first used in 1863. Today, policemen in most of the country wear rather boring caps, but the London Bobby continues to wear the ‘custodian helmet’, as it is called. This helmet is also worn in other countries. Even some municipal police forces in Italy wear them. On the front of our Bobby’s helmet is a crest with a crown on the top. On the front is written E II R – Elizabeth II Regina. Most police forces in the world carry guns, but the British police usually don’t. So how do they defend themselves and keep order when necessary? They have a truncheon, which is a long, black, very heavy stick, made of wood or synthetic material. Since 2010 they have also carried a Taser, an electroshock weapon. Our Bobby also has a

Bild Atlas, 1997 mobile phone and a torch. If a very serious case needs to be investigated by the police and there is a very high risk of danger, police are issued with guns, but for that case only. Many people think that the police should carry guns all the time, but other people disagree. There are arguments on both sides. What do you think? You are probably wondering why we call policemen ‘Bobbies’. Well, it goes back to 1829. Up to that date there was no real police force anywhere in England, apart from a very small group called the Bow Street Runners, which had been founded in 1749. Bow Street is the name of a law court, but the members of the group didn’t like being called Runners – they didn’t think it was very elegant! In 1829 they were replaced by a proper police force, and the Prime Minister who started it was called Sir Robert Peel. The diminutive of Robert is Bobby, so there is the answer. TV series featuring police are very popular and are mainly American programmes, like Criminal Minds and CSI. However, there have been some very successful British ones too, including Prime Suspect, Cracker and Inspector Morse. In all of them you can see the London Bobby! And next time you are in London and can’t find your way, the London Bobby will help you. Most of them will also let you take a selfie with them, but make sure you ask first! You don’t want to end up in jail…