Watchman (law enforcement)

Watchman

A night watchman by Thomas Dekker from The Belman of London (1608).
Description
Competencies	Public safety, fire watch, crime prevention, crime detection, criminal apprehension, recovery of stolen goods
Fields of employment	Law enforcement
Related jobs	Thief-taker, security guard, police officer, fire lookout

Watchmen were organised groups of men, usually authorised by a state, government, city, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement as well as traditionally perform the services of public safety, fire watch, crime prevention, crime detection, and recovery of stolen goods. Watchmen have existed since earliest recorded times in various guises throughout the world and were generally succeeded by the emergence of formally organised professional policing.