In the days before organised police forces the parish constable was responsible for the enforcement of law and order. He was locally appointed and held office for one year. Without the benefit of a uniform his staff was decorated to act as a symbol of his authority. This idea of a constable being armed with nothing more than a truncheon has been one of the enduring images of policing in the United Kingdom.
Truncheons & Tipstaves
A history of policing through decorated truncheons & tipstaves