History Main / OldFashionedCopper

May make use of TortureForFunAndInformation. See also LawmanBaton which is something these characters will almost always be armed with.

* On the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}':

* George Dixon, of ''Series/DixonOfDockGreen'', is generally taken as the canonical example of the 'old fashioned bobby', firm but scrupulously fair, and the source of the CatchPhrase "Evening, all".

* The cops on ''Series/TheSweeney'' are pretty much the archetypal characters who represent this trope, although they aren't old-fashioned themselves since the values represented were alive and well in the '70s when the show was made.

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[[quoteright:340:[[VideoGame/BioshockInfinite https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/police_bioshock_infinite1.png]]]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* Inspector Cleaver in ''Film/IBoughtAVampireMotorcycle'' is a bullying, world-weary, middle-aged cop, who has a Cockney accent despite working in Birmingham.
* In ''Film/MysteryRoad'', Sarge just wants a peaceful life in his bailiwick, and is willing to sweep things under the rug if it will prevent a race war breaking out in his town.

* These stereotypes appear in China Miéville's ''Literature/{{Kraken}}''. [[spoiler:They are dimly remembered manifestations of this archetype, wholly created by a police witch.]] This is definitely a novel in which all myths are (or at least, can be) [[AllMythsAreTrue true]].
* On the Literature/{{Discworld}}

* ''Hamish Macbeth'' ([[Literature/HamishMacbeth books]] and [[Series/HamishMacbeth TV series]]) gently spoofs the OldFashionedCopper.

* The gnomes in the Literature/ForestOfBolandLightRailway have a Dixon-like policeman who runs the town jail.

* DCI Gene Hunt from ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}''. In some respects, he underplays reality - there were quite a few coppers like him.

* The 1983 sketch series ''Series/{{Alfresco}}'' had a sketch in which a policeman in Victorian uniform walked into a modern police station, prompting another bobby to remark, "That's what I like to see - a good old fashioned copper."
* Jack in ''Series/ATouchOfFrost'', but not too badly and he only does it to get the right people convicted. He does have standards though, in one of the books he says that whilst he has planted evidence at crimes to point to the killer, he has never "lost" unfortunate evidence. He's also a step down from the obnoxious Frost of R D Wingfield's books.
* ''Series/TheLastDetective'' has its hero, Dangerous Davies, as the "Dixon of Dock Green" type, but his DCI as one of these. The two were originally partners.
* Several appear over the course of ''Series/RumpoleOfTheBailey''. Rumpole disapproves, and not just because it's his job to defend the suspects they've stitched up. Special mention goes to Detective Inspector Brush, a recurring antagonist over the years.

* The protagonists of ''Series/TheProfessionals'', although in their case, they were officially given a "license to bend/break the law" for cases too dangerous for regular police to handle.
* This kind of officer plays a role in the backstory and opinions of DS Ronnie Brooks of ''Series/LawAndOrderUK''. He was a young officer during the heyday of this type and disapproves of it. In one episode, he's shown as being more willing than his young partner to believe that police left an unliked colleague to die, since unlike his partner, he has a lot of experience with [[DirtyCop bent coppers]]. In a later episode, he is clearly ''reluctant'' to believe that a former partner of his is corrupt, though this sentiment could be due more to his friendship with the man rather than being willing to turn a blind eye. Indeed, when confronted strong evidence of the man's guilt, he is forced to admit it.
* Several appeared over the course of ''Series/TheBill''. DI Frank Burnside was one of the most noticeable and even got his own spin-off.
* Several police officers appearing in ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', all of them played equally for satire and laughs. Graham Chapman was infamous for playing these.
* While set in Canada, not Britain, ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' does portray many Toronto cops of the late 19th century as more or less like this. In one episode, Murdoch notes that his old inspector urged him to fabricate evidence against a suspected rapist, which he was incapable of doing. [[spoiler:The rapist was indeed guilty, and this "failure," as it were, comes back to haunt Murdoch years later.]] Inspector Brackenreid shows some tendencies of this early - and remains willing to get his hands dirty as needs must - but generally gives Murdoch the benefit of the doubt.
* Inspector Edmund Reid and Sergeant Bennett Drake of ''Series/RipperStreet'' are of the "Dixon of Dock Green" type - they're heroic overall and definitely not corrupt, but [[DeliberateValuesDissonance this being the Victorian era they see absolutely nothing wrong]] with resorting to brutal tactics and beating confessions out of suspects. At the other end of the spectrum there are also corrupt villainous {{Dirty Cop}}s such as Inspector Jedediah Shine, one of season two's {{Big Bad}}s.
* The "Constable Savage" sketch of ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews''.
* Australian rather than British, but close enough: ''Series/BlueHeelers'' subverts this with Tom, Mark and Ted, who are old enough but don't go for the PoliceBrutality...that is until the station bombing sends Tom off the edge. Superintendent Adamson and Homicide detective Paul Donald straddle the line, with Maggie's father Pat being homophobic and needing little reason to bust heads plays this straight.
* Another Australian example is Sergeant Bill Hobart from ''Series/TheDoctorBlakeMysteries''. Set in the early 60s when such things were not uncommon, Hobart is a racist thug who is not above beating a confession out of a suspect with a phone book (although he does possess an innate streak of decency). He is contrasted by the younger Sergeant Charlie Davis who represents the new breed of law enforcement that is gradually emerging.
* ''Series/{{Copper}}'' has the American Civil War era NYPD, which is pretty much indistinguishable from the street gangs it's supposed to be cracking down on.
* Fred Thursday in ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'' is more of a ''Dixon of Dock Green'' type, although he does go in for some PoliceBrutality every now and again.

* The Bobbies of ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' are meant to invoke this trope, but function more as the armed goons of Wellington Wells. Their main purpose is to beat down (or kill) any [[DefectorFromDecadence Downers]] they find.

A British police officer who entered the force before the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_and_Criminal_Evidence_Act_1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984]]. There is something of a spectrum within this trope, with the unifying theme being a hankering for direct policing methods unhampered by such niceties as paperwork and the rights of suspects. Or, come to that, the feelings of victims.

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'', several British police cars wearing bobby helmets are actually summoned by the Queen to arrest [[spoiler: Miles Axlerod]] after Mater tells her about his treason against her and that he is the leader of the Lemons.

* These stereotypes appear in China Miéville's ''Literature/{{Kraken}}''. [[spoiler: They are dimly remembered manifestations of this archetype, wholly created by a police witch.]] This is definitely a novel in which all myths are (or at least, can be) [[AllMythsAreTrue true]].

** Vimes and most definitely Carrot as the Dixon of Dock Green-types. Vimes started when this behaviour (and worse) was acceptable, but had a good mentor ([[spoiler:[[TimeTravel and who better than himself]]]]) to steer him straight. Carrot is a shining beacon of justice and pure-heartedness, enough to give even Vimes headaches.

May make use of TortureForFunAndInformation.

The [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers PC]] who's not so [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad PC]].

* Although not a British film, [[Creator/SeanConnery Jimmy Malone]] fills this role in ''Film/TheUntouchables''. Malone is introduced by being such a hardass that he tells ''Elliot Ness'' to straighten up. His idea of recruiting a new cop? Go directly to the Police Academy and find the guy who shoots straightest. Gets downplayed in the end, seeing that Jimmy ultimately picks the ''second''-best shooter, as the best shooter could barely put together an intelligible sentence:

!!Examples

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

[[folder: VideoGames]]

[[quoteright:273:[[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tom-smith-peeler_4973.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:273:Constable Tom Smith, a VictorianLondon "peeler."]]

At the one extreme are those with a tendency to favour "old fashioned" methods of policing, which usually involve [[PoliceBrutality beating up suspects]], fabricating confessions (a process known as "verballing") and planting evidence. Being [[DirtyCop corrupt]], [[NobleBigotWithABadge misogynist, racist etc.]] is optional. Basically, the British version of the CowboyCop.

At the other end is the Series/DixonOfDockGreen trope, an [[CyclicTrope even ]]''[[CyclicTrope more]]'' [[CyclicTrope old-fashioned police officer]] from the days when (at least on television) policemen wouldn't even ''think'' about doing the illegal or corrupt, but were ''permitted'' to use much more force (both physical and psychological) than is perceived to be acceptable today. Such an OldFashionedCopper will likely be TheCape (or one of them) of the franchise -- with such a deeply-ingrained sense of fair play, there are few other possibilities for such a person. But he may also take thinly disguised glee in the bad guys getting their comeuppance. Nor would he be above giving (say) a ten-year-old a "clip round the ear", sure in the knowledge that if the child's parents found out they would face much worse.

* Fred Thursday in ''Series/{{Endeavour}} is more of a ''Dixon of Dock Green'' type, although he does go in for some PoliceBrutality every now and again.

* DCI Gene Hunt from ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}''. In some respects, he underplays reality- there were quite a few coppers like him.

At the one extreme are those with a tendency to favour "old fashioned" methods of policing, which usually involve beating up suspects, fabricating confessions (a process known as "verballing") and planting evidence. Being [[DirtyCop corrupt]], [[NobleBigotWithABadge misogynist, racist etc.]] is optional. Basically, the British version of the CowboyCop.

** Fred and Nobby skirt the edge; in ''Discworld/NightWatch'' they were definitely headed that way, but in the later novels seem to realize that sort of thing just isn't done anymore, though they do seem a bit vague on exactly ''why'' (other than that if they do it and Vimes finds out... and Vimes ''will'' find out... he'll go ''spare'' - or ''librarian poo'' in the vernacular).

At the one extreme are those with a tendency to favour "old fashioned" methods of policing, which usually involve beating up suspects, fabricating confessions (a process known as "verballing") and planting evidence. Being [[DirtyCop corrupt]], is optional. Basically, the British version of the CowboyCop.

At the one extreme are those with a tendency to favour "old fashioned" methods of policing, which usually involve beating up suspects, fabricating confessions (a process known as "verballing") and planting evidence. Being [[DirtyCop corrupt]], [[NobleBigotWithABadge misogynist, racist etc.]] is optional. Basically, the British version of the CowboyCop.

See also NobleBigotWithABadge.

[[/folder]]

A British police officer who entered the force before the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. There is something of a spectrum within this trope, with the unifying theme being a hankering for direct policing methods unhampered by such niceties as paperwork and the rights of suspects. Or, come to that, the feelings of victims.

* The protagonists of ''Series/TheProfessionals'', although in their case, they were officially given a "license to bend/break the law".

->''Smooths the bumps from Justice's path with 'is truncheon, does 'e?''

** Vimes and most definitely Carrot as the Dixon of Dock Green-types. Vimes started when this behaviour (and worse) was acceptable, but had a good mentor to steer him straight. Carrot is a shining beacon of justice and pure-heartedness, enough to give even Vimes headaches.

* On the Literature/{{Discworld}} (specifically, Ankh-Morpork), "Mayonnaise" Quirke - "rich, thick, oily, and smelt faintly of eggs."
** Vimes and most definitely Carrot as the Dixon of Dock Green-types.

* Although not a British film, [[Creator/SeanConnery Jimmy Malone]] fills this role in ''Film/TheUntouchables''. Malone is introduced by being such a hardass that he tells ''Elliot Ness'' to straighten up. His idea of recruiting a new cop? Go directly to the Police Academy and find the guy who shoots straightest.
** Gets downplayed in the end, seeing that Jimmy ultimately picks the ''second''-best shooter, as the best shooter could barely put together an intelligible sentence:

* Jack in ''Series/ATouchOfFrost'', but not too badly and he only does it to get the right people convicted. He does have standards though, in one of the books he says that whilst he has planted evidence at crimes to point to the killer, he has never "lost" unfortunate evidence.
** Although David Jason's cuddly TV Frost is a very different proposition from the obnoxious Frost of R D Wingfield's books.

* This kind of officer plays a role in the backstory and opinions of DS Ronnie Brooks of ''Series/LawAndOrderUK''. He was a young officer during the heyday of this type and disapproves of it. In one episode, he's shown as being more willing than his young partner to believe that police left an unliked colleague to die, since unlike his partner, he has a lot of experience with [[DirtyCop bent coppers]].
** Yet in a later episode, he is clearly ''reluctant'' to believe that a former partner of his is corrupt, though this sentiment could be due more to his friendship with the man rather than being willing to turn a blind eye. Indeed, when confronted strong evidence of the man's guilt, he is forced to admit it.

-->'''Jimmy Malone'': I give you the next chief of police!