I know they are called 'bobbies' due to Robert Peel being the founder of police but why coppers?
Some argue that the term cop is shortened from copper and derives from the tin or copper badges worn by a policeman. Others say cop is an abbreviation for constabulary of police.
Because of the copper badges that they used to wear. realpolice /police-history.sht... (under Spoils Era)
Coppers: some believe it to be an acronym for Constable On Patrol. It is also believed that the term Copper was the original, unshortened word, popularly believed to represent the copper badges American officers used to wear at the time of origin, but in fact probably used in Britain to mean someone who cops (captures or snatches) long before this.
This is an easy one, and being former NYPD I know it for a fact. Police Shields are, and always have been since the term was first coined, made of copper with a silver overlay. This is still true today. I know because at one time my Shield was damaged and before I had it repaired the copper showed through. (It was very annoying.)
Police officers are often referred to as cops, but the word origins of cop are something of a debate. It is known that up until the 1970s, cop was something of a slang term, and one would refer to cops more properly as policemen, or police officers. Some argue that the term cop is shortened from copper and derives from the tin or copper badges worn by a policeman. Others say cop is an abbreviation for constabulary of police.
