What is Watchman?
[[File:Kaufmann_Glocke_Schwarz_bedeckt_sich_die_Erde.jpg|thumb|Drawing of a night watchman in a town in Germany. He carries a [[lantern]] and a [[halberd]]. His helper dog walks beside him.]] '''Watchmen''' were groups of men who discouraged [[crime]] and [[Law enforcement|enforced the law]]. They were usually authorised by the [[state]] or [[government]]. Watchmen have existed in many places around the world throughout history. Today, the job of law enforcement has generally been taken over by organised [[police]]. An early reference to a watch can be found in the [[Bible]]. [[Ezekiel]] says that it was the watchmen's duty to sound the alarm to warn the people that they were under attack (Ezekiel 33:1-6). The [[Roman Empire]] turned the role of a watchman into a profession. The [[Vigiles]] was the city watch in [[Rome]]. It was the city's police force. In [[England]], the [[Ordinance of 1233]] required the appointment of watchmen.<ref>{{cite book | title= The History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I | last1= Pollock | first1= Frederick | last2= Maitland | first2= Frederic William | year= 1898 | page= 565 | volume= 1 | edition= 2 | isbn= 978-1-58477-718-2 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JdisvDaHiIMC&pg=PA565 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title= Essays on the Theory and Practice of Criminal Justice | url= https://archive.org/details/essaysontheorypr0000unse | last= Rich | first= Robert M. | year= 1977 | page= [https://archive.org/details/essaysontheorypr0000unse/page/50 50] | isbn= 978-0-8191-0235-5 | quote= The origin of the exception goes back in English history to the Ordinance of 1233 which instituted night-watchmen, and directed them 'to arrest those who enter vills at night and go about armed.' Later the Ordinance of 1252 mentions 'disturbers of our peace.' }}</ref> The [[Assize of Arms of 1252]] and the [[Statute of Winchester]] of 1285 are considered among the earliest examples of a police in England.<ref>{{cite book | title= Police! | last1= Clarkson | first1= Charles Tempest | last2= Ri