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Old-Fashioned Copper

159 statements
30 feature instances
37 referencing feature instances

Old-Fashioned Copper	type	FeatureClass
Old-Fashioned Copper	label	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper	page	OldFashionedCopper
Old-Fashioned Copper	comment	The PC who's not so PC. 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. 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 corrupt, misogynist, racist etc. is optional. Basically, the British version of the Cowboy Cop. At the other end is the Dixon of Dock Green trope, an even more 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 Old-Fashioned Copper will likely be The Cape (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. British cop shows found many intermediates between these extremes and often had characters representing different versions within the same show. May make use of Torture for Fun and Information. See also Lawman Baton which is something these characters will almost always be armed with.
Old-Fashioned Copper	fetched	2023-11-03T00:46:51Z
Old-Fashioned Copper	parsed	2023-11-03T00:46:51Z
Old-Fashioned Copper	processingComment	Dropped link to OlderThanTheyLook: Not an Item - FEATURE
Old-Fashioned Copper	processingComment	Dropped link to TimeTravel: Not an Item - FEATURE
Old-Fashioned Copper	isPartOf	DBTropes
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_10bc0a19	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_10bc0a19	comment	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).
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_10bc0a19	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_10bc0a19	featureConfidence	1.0
Night Watch (Discworld)	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_10bc0a19
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_21eccc35	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_21eccc35	comment	Another Australian example is Sergeant Bill Hobart from The Doctor Blake Mysteries. 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_21eccc35	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_21eccc35	featureConfidence	1.0
The Doctor Blake Mysteries	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_21eccc35
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_23b87900	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_23b87900	comment	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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_23b87900	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_23b87900	featureConfidence	1.0
Copper	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_23b87900
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_468bebb0	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_468bebb0	comment	On the Discworld: "Mayonnaise" Quirke of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch - "rich, thick, oily, and smelt faintly of eggs." 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 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. 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).
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_468bebb0	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_468bebb0	featureConfidence	1.0
Discworld	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_468bebb0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_5436bd4	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_5436bd4	comment	The cops on The Sweeney 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_5436bd4	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_5436bd4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Sweeney	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_5436bd4
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6ba673f9	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6ba673f9	comment	Jack Halford, Gerry Standing and Brian Lane in New Tricks, although they cheerfully excuse their flagrant bending of the rules with the (reasonable) justification that technically they aren't actually police officers any more.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6ba673f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6ba673f9	featureConfidence	1.0
New Tricks	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6ba673f9
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6cafc395	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6cafc395	comment	The Last Detective has its hero, Dangerous Davies, as the "Dixon of Dock Green" type, but his DCI as one of these. The two were originally partners.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6cafc395	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6cafc395	featureConfidence	1.0
The Last Detective	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_6cafc395
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7288f27	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7288f27	comment	The Weary Detective from Cultist Simulator. He's just an ordinary cop who, through some grave misfortune, got stuck on the Suppression Bureau and now finds himself chasing down the Eldritch Abomination conjuring Villain Protagonist.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7288f27	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7288f27	featureConfidence	1.0
Cultist Simulator (Video Game)	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7288f27
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7d1b5428	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7d1b5428	comment	Jack in A Touch of Frost, 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7d1b5428	featureApplicability	1.0
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A Touch of Frost	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_7d1b5428
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_82d5c9d9	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_82d5c9d9	comment	The Bobbies of We Happy Few 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 Downers they find.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_82d5c9d9	featureApplicability	1.0
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We Happy Few (Video Game)	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_82d5c9d9
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_884b7dc0	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_884b7dc0	comment	The gnomes in the Forest of Boland Light Railway have a Dixon-like policeman who runs the town jail.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_884b7dc0	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_884b7dc0	featureConfidence	1.0
Forest of Boland Light Railway	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_884b7dc0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_892aa56a	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_892aa56a	comment	While set in Canada, not Britain, Murdoch Mysteries 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. 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_892aa56a	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_892aa56a	featureConfidence	1.0
Murdoch Mysteries	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_892aa56a
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_93683e89	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_93683e89	comment	The "Constable Savage" sketch of Not the Nine O'Clock News.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_93683e89	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_93683e89	featureConfidence	1.0
Not the Nine O'Clock News	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_93683e89
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_97a70962	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_97a70962	comment	The protagonists of The Professionals, although in their case, they were officially given a "license to bend/break the law" for cases too dangerous for regular police to handle.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_97a70962	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_97a70962	featureConfidence	1.0
The Professionals	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_97a70962
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_987ae287	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_987ae287	comment	At the end of Cars 2, several British police cars wearing bobby helmets are actually summoned by the Queen to arrest Miles Axlerod after Mater tells her about his treason against her and that he is the leader of the Lemons.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_987ae287	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_987ae287	featureConfidence	1.0
Cars 2	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_987ae287
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_aeaf3d1b	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_aeaf3d1b	comment	DCI Gene Hunt from Life On Mars. In some respects, he underplays reality - there were quite a few coppers like him.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_aeaf3d1b	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_aeaf3d1b	featureConfidence	1.0
Life on Mars (2006)	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_aeaf3d1b
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b0c3c145	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b0c3c145	comment	In Mystery Road, 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b0c3c145	featureApplicability	1.0
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Mystery Road	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b0c3c145
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b2ba506	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b2ba506	comment	Fred Thursday in Endeavour is more of a Dixon of Dock Green type, although he does go in for some Police Brutality every now and again.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b2ba506	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b2ba506	featureConfidence	1.0
Endeavour	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b2ba506
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b8d8968e	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b8d8968e	comment	George Dixon, of Dixon of Dock Green, is generally taken as the canonical example of the 'old fashioned bobby', firm but scrupulously fair, and the source of the catchphrase "Evening, all".
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b8d8968e	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b8d8968e	featureConfidence	1.0
Dixon of Dock Green	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b8d8968e
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b93ba031	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b93ba031	comment	The Thin Blue Line: Derek Grim acts the part with his loathing of modern "fannying about", but is mostly a wannabe, not to mention a buffoon. Fowler's an even more old-fashioned cop; he, however, is old-fashioned in the "Dixon of Dock Green" fashion.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b93ba031	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b93ba031	featureConfidence	1.0
The Thin Blue Line	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_b93ba031
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_bd0d2c55	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_bd0d2c55	comment	Several appear over the course of Rumpole of the Bailey. 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_bd0d2c55	featureApplicability	1.0
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Rumpole of the Bailey	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_bd0d2c55
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c4571087	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c4571087	comment	These stereotypes appear in China Miéville's Kraken. 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) true.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c4571087	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c4571087	featureConfidence	1.0
Kraken	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c4571087
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c550978	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c550978	comment	Inspector Cleaver in I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle is a bullying, world-weary, middle-aged cop, who has a Cockney accent despite working in Birmingham.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c550978	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c550978	featureConfidence	1.0
I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c550978
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c9fecd11	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c9fecd11	comment	Several appeared over the course of The Bill. DI Frank Burnside was one of the most noticeable and even got his own spin-off.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c9fecd11	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c9fecd11	featureConfidence	1.0
The Bill	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_c9fecd11
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_ca5d97f1	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_ca5d97f1	comment	Several police officers appearing in Monty Python's Flying Circus, all of them played equally for satire and laughs. Graham Chapman was infamous for playing these.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_ca5d97f1	featureApplicability	1.0
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Monty Python's Flying Circus	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_ca5d97f1
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d600752e	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d600752e	comment	Inspector Edmund Reid and Sergeant Bennett Drake of Ripper Street are of the "Dixon of Dock Green" type - they're heroic overall and definitely not corrupt, but 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 Cops such as Inspector Jedediah Shine, one of season two's Big Bads.
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Ripper Street	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d600752e
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d8118f41	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d8118f41	comment	Australian rather than British, but close enough: Blue Heelers subverts this with Tom, Mark and Ted, who are old enough but don't go for the Police Brutality...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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d8118f41	featureApplicability	1.0
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Blue Heelers	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_d8118f41
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_da52a723	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_da52a723	comment	DCI Alexander Seawoll in Rivers of London, 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. Thomas Nightingale of the same series seems to be of the second, more genteel type, but the nature of magical crime and criminals means there's no real way to bring them in "by the book," and he is likely to suggest justice of a more permanent nature. Over the course of the series his apprentice Peter Grant has attempted to steer him away from this mindset, at least as a first option.
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Rivers of London	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_da52a723
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_db04220f	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_db04220f	comment	Hamish Macbeth (books and TV series) gently spoofs the Old-Fashioned Copper.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_db04220f	featureApplicability	1.0
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Hamish Macbeth	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_db04220f
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_fe83b608	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_fe83b608	comment	This kind of officer plays a role in the backstory and opinions of DS Ronnie Brooks of Law & Order: UK. 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 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.
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_fe83b608	featureApplicability	1.0
Old-Fashioned Copper / int_fe83b608	featureConfidence	1.0
Law & Order: UK	hasFeature	Old-Fashioned Copper / int_fe83b608

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Old-Fashioned Copper	processingCategory2	Cops and Detectives
Old-Fashioned Copper	processingCategory2	Goodness Tropes
Old-Fashioned Copper	processingCategory2	Hero Tropes
From Hell / Comicbook / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Chosen Six (Fanfic) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Demolition Man / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Blue Lamp / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Untouchables (1987) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Evensong / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Futuretrack Five / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Rivers of London / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Absolutely (Music)	seeAlso	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Monster Hunters (Podcast) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Springheel Saga (Podcast) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
A Touch of Frost / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Between the Lines (1992) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Blue Lights / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Carnival Row / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Cracker / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Death in Paradise / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Dixon of Dock Green / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Endeavour / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Heartbeat / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Law & Order: UK / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Life on Mars (2006) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Midsomer Murders / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Monty Python's Flying Circus / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
New Tricks / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Rumpole of the Bailey / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Scott & Bailey / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Bill / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Sweeney / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
The Thin Blue Line / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Whitechapel	seeAlso	Old-Fashioned Copper
Whitechapel / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Whitechapel (TV Series) / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper
Between the Lines / int_3fac55ce	type	Old-Fashioned Copper

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