Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a police officer; also attrib.

1888		Sporting times 26 May n.p.: Up walks a rozzer and buckles me tight [B&L].
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 104: In walked two rozzers, and coming up to him asked if he was Mr. Blower.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 75: He nearly knocked down the rozzer [...] who was regulating the traffic.
1906		O.C. Malvery Soul Market 290: A policeman in uniform is a ‘flat’ or a ‘rosser.’.
1908		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘The Lure of the Lucre’ Sporting Times 1 Aug. 1/4: She never looked at any other bloke but me, I’m pos, / Even if ’e was in uniform, a ‘swaddy’ or a ‘roz.’.
1909		Kalgoorlie Miner (WA) 8 May 3/1: ‘I’ll tell you how a plain-clothes rozzer got me a stretch by simply “colouring the truth” as you call it’.
1916		T. Burke Limehouse Nights 248: Bert – don’ be a fool. Yeh’ll get the rozzers on yeh.
1926		Derby Dly Teleg. 7 Apr. 3/3: Among other slang terms for police-men are rozzers, cossacks, frog; raw lobster, M.P. (member of police) nam.
1934		P. Allingham Cheapjack 251: One of our fingers took sights of the rozzers.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 9: Rosser: Uniform Policeman.
1938		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 23 July 183: The rival ‘pushes’ fought each other and combined to fight the ‘traps’ and ‘rozzers’ - in other words, the police.
1939		K. Tennant Foveaux 290: I’m sorry you didn’t give the razzer oo was lacerated a proper go in.
1949		Wodehouse Mating Season 24: Police Constable Dodds, the local rozzer.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 148: The Surrey rozzers pride themselves on the efficiency of their cordon system.
1965		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Confessions 35: There was still plenty of time for the rozzers to do a good job on us.
1967		J. Wynnum I’m a Jack, All Right 27: I want you to keep clear of the rossers.
1967		K. Tennant Tell Morning This 19: ‘Before I’d let a fat jellybag and a dirty little rat stand over me, I’d call every rozzer in the force’.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 164: I want to see the blushes when the truth [...] dawns upon the rozzers.
1978		A. Burgess 1985 (1980) 118: Whose side are you bloody rozzers on?
1982		(con. 1930s–50s) E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 106: Policemen, among other things were known as [...] Cops, Rawsers, and The Law.
1989		Beano Comic Library No. 176 20: We don’t want the rozzers to spot us.
1998		P. Doyle (con. late 1950s) Amaze Your Friends (2019) 73: ‘The rozzers were here bore you arrived’.
1999		Observer Rev. 4 July 10: Behind him appear two rozzers. ‘Problem, sir?’.
2007		M. Rowson Stuff 92: I do remember [...] my mother rushing up, apologizing to the rozzer and accusing me of running away.
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 369: You’ve heard nae word oan that wee Jinty, ah suppose? Nae mair rozzer activity?
2017		G. Gilmore Headland [ebook] ‘Never tell to rozzers nothing’.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 177: They even had the neck to threaten the local rozzers with civil action should they intervene.