13. Lower Class Victorians Seriously Hated Cops
Victorian lower classes seriously disliked the newly-introduced police. They resented the suppression of popular recreations and customs such as public drinking, gambling, prize fights, and street games. All were crimes on the statutory books. Routine police work in poorer neighborhoods, such as patrolling and keeping an eye out for trouble, was often viewed by those who had never experienced such as an intrusive and unprecedented surveillance regime. Accordingly, many developed an active antipathy towards police, and tried to make the life of beat cops as miserable as possible.
That often took the form of a viral crime wave of violence against the police. Cops who tried to arrest miscreants, particularly in working-class neighborhoods, were often set upon and attacked by the culprit’s neighbors, friends, and passersby, in order to rescue the detainee. British lower class resentment of Victorian police for interfering with street life was bad enough. Even worse was the resentment when the cops got involved in any crime that had to do with domestic affairs and affrays. Cops who approached private residences, regardless of the motive, risked a hostile reception.
