Why are English police called the old bill?

Answer 1

Answer: The English police are indeed frequently referred to as "The Old Bill". The precise origin is uncertain, and I can think of no better source for the 13 different possible origins than the website of the Metropolitan (i.e. London) Police. I've provided the link which you should see below. As an Englishman who is extremely familiar with London, I am not aware of any building in London called "the old bill". Perhaps that contributor was thinking of Big Ben, which is often erroneously believed to be the name of the bell tower above the houses of parliament in Westminster, but is actually the name of the bell in the top of the bell tower. The origin of Bobby comes from the founder of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Robert Peel, Bobby being the shortened form of Robert. At one time they were also known as Peelers, but that fell into disuse, whilst Bobby persisted. Bobby tends to be associated with a "warm and cuddly" view of the traditional uniformed police officer who was seen as the guardian of the people, whilst the "Old Bill" tends to be used more in the sense of a kind of enemy of the criminal fraternity - though has grown to such popular use that it is no longer thought of as a derogatory term - in fact a long running TV police drama is entitled "The Bill" which is a further shortening of the term.