The life of a nineteenth century British policeman, or ‘Bobby’, was renowned as a tough one. In the industrial town of Middlesboro ugh, how many assaults were recorded on average in the 1860s?
Answer: Sixty per year. This is remarkable when one considers that the local police force averaged only thirty men, and that police officers only occasionally reported assaults to their authorities.
Source: Hard Men – Violence in England since 1750 by Clive Emsley




