History Main / OldFashionedCopper

* 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.

* Although not a British film, Creator/SeanConnery fills this role in ''Film/TheUntouchables''. His character 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 Connery's character ultimately picked the second-best shooter, as the best shooter could barely put together an intelligible sentence:
-->'''Connery''': I give you the next chief of police!

* 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. 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.

* The 1983 sketch 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 ''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.

* ''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.

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* At the end of ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} 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.

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* Australian rather than British, but close enough: ''Series/BlueHealers'' 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.

* DCI Alexander Seawoll in ''RiversOfLondon'', big, brawny, likes to swear a lot, hates paperwork and coppers who do magic. Also a policeman to his bones and knows exactly what to say and what not to say in a cover-up or witch-hunt.

* On the Literature/{{Discworld}} (specifically, Ankh-Morpork), "Mayonnaise" Quirke.

* 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 [[DefectorsFromDecadence Downers]] they find.

** Partly averted, in that Connery's character ultimately picked the second-best shooter, as the best shooter could barely put together an intelligible sentence:

* Grim from ''TheThinBlueLine'' acts the part, but is mostly a wannabe, not to mention a buffoon. The protagonist, Fowler, is the Dixon of Dock Green type.

-->-- '''Inspector Abberline''' on Sgt. William Thick, ''Comicbook/FromHell''.

* The 1983 sketch 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."

* Several appeared over the course of ''Series/TheBill''. DI Frank Burnside was one of the most noticable and even got his own spin-off.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Although not a British film, Creator/SeanConnery fills this role in ''Film/TheUntouchables''. His character 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.
** Partly averted, in that Connery's character ultimately picked the second-best shooter, as the best shooter could barely put together an intelligible sentence:
-->'''Connery''': I give you the next chief of police!
* At the end of ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} 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.

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* 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}} (specifically, Ankh-Morpork), "Mayonnaise" Quirke.
** Vimes and most definitely Carrot as the Dixon of Dock Green-types.
** Fred and Nobby skirt the edge; in Night Watch 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).
* DCI Alexander Seawoll in ''RiversOfLondon'', big, brawny, likes to swear a lot, hates paperwork and coppers who do magic. Also a policeman to his bones and knows exactly what to say and what not to say in a cover-up or witch-hunt.
* ''Hamish Macbeth'' ([[Literature/HamishMacbeth books]] and [[Series/HamishMacbeth TV series]]) gently spoofs the OldFashionedCopper.
* Creator/RobertWestall often had policemen at either end of the scale appear in his work. ''Literature/FuturetrackFive'' had more corrupt British Police; a scruffier, less-disciplined and easier to con or bribe force than the unswerving [[EliteMooks Paramils]]. ''Literature/BreakOfDark'' had Sergeant Nice; a copper who volunteered to do school talks, cycling proficiency tests and saves worms from being trampled on the station doormat.

* Jack Halford, Gerry Standing and Brian Lane in ''NewTricks'', although they cheerfully excuse their flagrant bending of the rules with the (reasonable) justification that technically they aren't ''actually'' police officers any more.
* Although the show was made when the "old-fashioned copper" technically wasn't old-fashioned, since the values represented were alive and well in the '70s, the cops on ''TheSweeney'' are pretty much the archetypal characters who represent this trope.
--> '''Regan''': Get your trousers on. You're nicked.
--> '''Carter''': (to the perps girlfriend) Have a lie in, luv.

* In ''Literature/{{Kraken}}'', Collingswood conjures a number of shades infused with compound personalities that act like old fashioned coppers. As non-sentient shades they just keep repeating stock phrases and whispers of thoughts, most of whom are brutish and rather non-PC.

* In ''Literature/TheKraken'', Collingswood conjures a number of shades infused with compound personalities that act like old fashioned coppers. As non-sentient shades they just keep repeating stock phrases and whispers of thoughts, most of whom are brutish and rather non-PC.

* Several appeared over the course of ''TheBill''. DI Frank Burnside was one of the most noticable and even got his own spin-off.

* This kind of officer plays a role in the backstory and opinions of DS Ronnie Brooks of ''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]].

-->-- '''Inspector Abberline''' on Sgt. William Thick, ''FromHell''.

** With arguably Vimes and most definitely Carrot as the Dixon of Dock Green-types.
*** Fred and Nobby skirt the edge; in Night Watch 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).