In 1829 London's first police department was founded. The billy club or baton was a tool used from that time as a weapon and a symbol of police authority; it was the only armament they carried for many decades. The billy was used against law offenders as well as a tool for breaking windows or to signal to other officers by knocking against fences and curbs. The billy club came in different sizes and some were purely a decorative symbol of the police. The billy club or baton has been replaced in more recent times by the TAZER and sprays.The billy club is significant as an example of early police control in Britain, Australia and America. Other less brutal means are used today for crowd control, such as sprays and TAZERs Russet coloured leather Police Billy. The Billy Club is wrapped in copper wire to prevent wear. The round end is filled with lead shot to a weight of 9 ounces (about 255 grams).flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime-museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, police billy, police officer’s club, mace, truncheon, nightstick, baton, police equipment, crowd control, public order, police symbol