
What does Bill mean in the police?
Bill is a nickname for Robert. thomas ritchie , glasgow scotland. When the police force was first formed the officers were required to carry a copy of (the bill of parliament) that enabled them to make arrests. Hence The Old Bill.
Why are the Met Police called Old Bill?
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 most famous of the cartoons is of Old Bill in a shell hole saying to another, "If you know a better hole, go find it."
Why is a constable called Old Bill?
William IV was King and Old Bill is a reference to the King for then as now "constables are citizens locally appointed but have authority under the crown". I've heard the name is somehow related to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia. I like Dick Bird's (Dickie Bird? Really?) answer best and will promote it as authentic whenever possible.
Why are police called'Bobbies'and not'Bill'?
And isn't that why police were once referred to as 'bobbies' (or 'peelers')? My theory is that 'Bill' is half of the rhyming slang expression "Bill and Coo" for 'Boys in Blue'.

What is the Bill slang for?
Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill" pronoun. (US, slang) One Hundred Dollars.
What do the British call the police?
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.
Why do they call the police the fuzz?
CB radio lingo called the police "Bears"; fuzz was a spin-off from this (this is a dubious assertion, as the term fuzz is much older than the use of mobile CB radio and older than Smokey the Bear, whose hat type, worn by many highway patrols, is the source of the bears term for police) because bears are fuzzy.
Why are the police called the peelers?
Peelers was the name given to the first police officers. They were named after Sir Robert Peel who introduced them, first in Ireland, and then in England. They were also known as Bobbies in England.
Why are police called 5 0?
The term “Five-O” is a slang term used to refer to the police. It comes from the title of a popular TV series, Hawaii Five-O, which began in 1968 and was about a police force in Hawaii. Hawaii is the 50th state of the U.S., thus, the “Five-O” title.
Why do British police say Guv?
Guv is used by prisoners in the UK as a respectful (but informal, even friendly) form of address for male prison officers of all ranks. Female officers are addressed as miss, regardless of their marital status.
What are nicknames for the police?
Sense: an officer in a law enforcement agencyalphabet (US, slang)barney (US, slang)beatsman (archaic, rare)bizzie (UK, slang)bluecoat (dated)blue heeler (Australia, slang)blue meanie (derogatory, slang)bobby (UK, slang)More items...
When did people start calling police the fuzz?
This was a 1960's hippy expression and it referred to hair or lack of it. Hippies had long hair whereas, by comparison, policemen had only fuzz. Hence the nickname.
What does fuzz mean in the 1960s?
a derogatory term directed to the police- circa 1960's. Watch out you do not want to be caught by the fuzz.
Are British police still called bobbies?
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).
Why is Scotland Yard called Scotland Yard?
The original headquarters of the new London police force were in Whitehall, with an entrance in Great Scotland Yard, from which the name originates. (Scotland Yard was so named because it stood on the site of a medieval palace that had housed Scottish royalty when the latter were in London on visits.)
What are the police called in Ireland?
An Garda SíochánaThe 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”.
What is the Bill about?
The programme focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. The Bill was the longest-running police procedural television series in the United Kingdom, and among the longest running of any British television series at the time of its cancellation. The title originates from "Old Bill", a slang term for the police .
Why was The Bill controversial?
An episode broadcast in 2008 was criticised for featuring fictional treatment for multiple sclerosis. The series has also faced more general criticism concerning its levels of violence, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a pre-watershed slot. The Bill won several awards, including BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award, and Best Drama at the Inside Soap Awards in 2009, this being the series' fourth consecutive win.
When was the original Woodentop renamed?
It was picked up by Michael Chapman for ITV franchise holder Thames Television, who retitled it Woodentop as part of Thames's "Storyboard" series of one-off dramas and broadcast on ITV under the title Woodentop on 16 August 1983.
How many countries have The Bill been broadcast in?
The Bill has been broadcast in over 55 different countries. In Australia, The Bill was shown on the ABC. The final episode was shown on 16 October 2010, with Farewell The Bill shown the following week on 23 October.
What is the Bill series?
The Bill is unique amongst police dramas in that it takes a serial format, focusing on the work and lives of a single shift of police officers, rather than on one particular area of police work. Also unique is that The Bill adapted to this format after several series, whereas comparable series started with the serial format.
How was The Bill filmed?
When filming The Bill, some outdoor scenes were re-enacted indoors with microphones surrounding the actors and the extra sounds being "dubbed" on later . Some of the more aggressive scenes were also filmed indoors either for dubbing or safety reasons. The sirens used in the series were added later in the dubbing suite as The Bill did not have permission to use them while on location. However, the police uniforms used in the series were genuine, again making The Bill unique amongst police dramas. When the series ended, London's Metropolitan Police Service, after talks with the production company, bought 400 kilograms of police-related paraphernalia, including uniforms and body armour, to prevent them falling into the hands of criminals after the programme's production ceased.
What was the finale of The Bill?
At the time the series ended in August 2010, The Bill was the United Kingdom's longest-running police drama and was among the longest-running of any British television series. The series finale, entitled " Respect ", was aired in two parts and was dedicated to "the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Service past and present". The finale storyline concerned gang member Jasmine Harris being involved in the murder of fellow member Liam Martin who died in the arms of Inspector Smith after being stabbed. Jasmine is then gang raped because she talked to the police, and when Callum Stone found the person responsible he was held at gunpoint. Of the finale's title, executive producer Jonathan Young said "It's called "Respect" and we hope it will respect the heritage of the show". The finale episodes featured all the cast and the final scene was specially written so all cast members would be featured. Following the final episode, ITV aired a documentary entitled Farewell The Bill which featured interviews from past and present cast and crew members. The finale was watched by 4.4 million viewers, with Farewell The Bill averaging 1.661 million viewers.
Who stonewalled the police bill?
While the statement takes issue with the claims in “media reports,” this is really a shot at Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who stonewalled the bill on the basis that it allegedly defunded the police. The problem with that line of reasoning was that it was not only false, but that Scott in fact once backed the very idea that he was referring to as “defunding.” The whole episode is driving home how Republicans have no serious interest in making policing safer, despite how congenial they sounded about moderate police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd last year.
Which two organizations represent the police in America?
Two of the biggest organizations representing the police in America, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Fraternal Order of Police, released a joint statement Tuesday slamming the GOP without naming them:
What is the Fraternal Order of Police?
Police organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police — which endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential elections in 2016 and 2020 — tend to have right-wing politics and be fiercely protective of policies that prevent law enforcement officers from being held accountable for their misuse of power. In the run-up to the police reform bill that just fell apart, the Fraternal Order of Police lobbied against a provision that would end qualified immunity, a policy that shields police officers and other public officials from civil lawsuits.
What made Scott's objection appalling?
Here’s Scott discussing criminal justice reform with PBS in June 2020:
Did Tim Scott support the police reform bill?
Sen. Tim Scott has false ly described a key provision of the Democrats' police reform bill as defunding the police, even though he once supported it himself. MSNBC / Getty Images; AP
Did Republicans or Democrats pass criminal justice reform?
Republicans torpedoed efforts by Democrats to pass criminal justice reform legislation last week, despite the fact that Democrats made huge concessions to get them on board. One sign of how unreasonable the Republican position on the bill was: They’re being called out by the police — the very group Republicans claimed to be defending in negotiations — for their bad-faith handling of the legislation.
What is the slang term for the police?
Slang term for the police ( citizen's band radio slang), "Smokey the Bear" in reference to the Highway Patrol campaign hats. Seldom derogatory; very common with truckers in the US. The Beast. US term used in this singular form to refer to any number of police officers,an entire police force, or police in general.
What is the bill based on?
The Bill was the title of a television police series in the UK, based in a fictional London borough. Bird. US, slang for a police helicopter. See also "Ghetto Bird". Not to be confused with the UK parallel to "chicks", a more modern and now more common use of "birds.". Bizzies.
What is the slang term for someone being pulled over?
Slang term for someone being pulled over. Blue Meanies. 1960s and 1970s hippie slang for the police in Britain, referring to the blue uniforms. Bobby. UK, derived from the Conservative British Home Secretary, Sir Robert Peel ("Bobby" being a nickname for "Robert"), the founder of the Metropolitan Police.
What is the slang term for police officers in Argentina?
Slang term for police officers in Argentina ("walking stick"). Widely used against repressive police during December 2001 riots in Argentina, possibly because by then policemen used nightsticks against protesters.
What is the blue force?
Blue Force. US slang term for the police, mainly used in Florida. Blue Heeler. Australian slang term, particularly in rural areas, in reference to the blue appearance and traits of the Blue Heeler Australian Cattle Dog.
What does "barney" mean in slang?
Derogatory; derived from the term "Pig/Pigs"; can refer to a single officer or the police generally. BAC. French slang for police officer; acronym of the Brigade anti-criminalité in France. Barney. Slang term, usually derogatory , for a town policeman; named for Barney Fife. Battenburg.
Where did the name Dick Tracy come from?
Apparently originally coined in Canada and brought south by rumrunners during Prohibition. The fictional comic strip character Dick Tracy was given the first name of "Dick" in token of its being a slang expression for "detective". Dickless Tracy is used in Australia as slang for female police officers. Dirty police.

Overview
History
The Bill was originally conceived by Geoff McQueen in 1983, then a new television writer, as a one-off drama. McQueen had originally titled the production Old Bill. It was picked up by Michael Chapman for ITV franchise holder Thames Television, who retitled it Woodentop as part of Thames's "Storyboard" series of one-off dramas and broadcast on ITV under the title Woodentop on 16 August 1983. Woodentop starred Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver and Trudie Goodwin as WPC J…
Broadcasting and production
Throughout the series, there have been three filming locations for Sun Hill police station. From the first series, the police station consisted of a set of buildings in Artichoke Hill, Wapping, East London. However, these buildings were next to the News International plant and during the winter of 1985–86 there was much industrial action which resulted in some altercations between the strikers and …
Themes and title sequences
• The series' pilot episode, Woodentop, featured a short theme composed by Mike Westergaard that was used specifically for the episode and never used at any other time during the main series. The episode's title sequence consisted of the word Woodentop being spelt out letter-by-letter, as if it were being typed out on a typewriter.
• The first-ever opening sequence of The Bill was first seen in the episode "Funny Ol' Business – Cops & Robbers". The sequence consisted of two …
Episodes
When The Bill was first commissioned as a series by ITV, it started with 12 episodes per year, each an hour long with a separate storyline. In 1988 the format changed to year-round broadcast with two 30-minute episodes per week. In 1993 this expanded to three 30-minute episodes per week. In 1998 the broadcast format changed to two one hour episodes each week. From late February 1999, episodes were recorded in 16:9 widescreen Digibeta. In 2009 The Bill began broad…
Cast
The Bill had a large regular cast to support the number of episodes that were produced each year. Working on The Bill had become something of a comical joke in British acting, with 174 actors having formed part of the series' main cast since the series began.
The following list contains characters whose roles transformed the series, and in some cases led to spin-offs, as well as characters who hold invididual accolades for their time on the series. An …
Ratings
The Bill was a popular drama in the United Kingdom and in many other countries, most notably in Australia.
The series attracted audiences of up to six million viewers in 2008 and 2009. Ratings during 2002 peaked after the overhaul of the show which brought about the 2002 fire episode, in which six officers were killed, and the 2003 live episode attracted 10 million viewers – 40% of the UK audi…
Awards
The Bill has achieved a number of awards throughout its time on air, ranging from a BAFTA to the Royal Television Society Awards. and the Inside Soap Awards, particularly the Best Recurring Drama category.
In 2010, The Bill was nominated for a Royal Television Society award for Best Soap/Continuing Drama, beating both Coronation Street and Emmerdale onto the nominations list. The only soap t…