14. Viral Victorian Violent Cop Trolling
London’s cops – the officers of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) – are generally respected and affectionately known as “Bobbies” today. That was not always the case. For decades after the MPS was formed in 1829, many Victorians questioned the very legitimacy of police, and the need for their services. MPS officers had a correspondingly fraught relationship with the public they were sworn to serve. Indeed, throughout much of the nineteenth century, the Bobbies were held in low esteem by many. However, the routine derision and disrespect they faced as they tried to do their jobs and fight crime were not the worst of it.
Bobbies were also frequently trolled, baited, and attacked for kicks and giggles. Indeed, violent attacks on London police became viral fun. Many Londoners disliked the cop, and there was an active anti-police ideology in the Victorian Era. It was communicated through the radical press, which depicted the new policy as an unconstitutional infringement on English liberties. The Bobbies were often referred to as “blue locusts” and “blue idlers”. It reflected a perception that the cops were parasites who lived off the taxes of honest men, and were excused by their position from honest work.