They were the force renowned around the world for their tongue-twisting exploits used to catch out those who had enjoyed too good a night on the town.
But now, it has been revealed the Leith Police did little to dismisseth any perceptions they were a soft touch before the turn of the 20th century - including arresting 35 men for being drunk in charge of a horse.
READ MORE - The grim medieval torture device still on display outside an Edinburgh church
Officers also investigated more than 1,100 instances of breach of the peace, 111 accounts of ‘malicious mischief,’ eight desertions from army or naval forces and three ‘reckless discharges’ of firearms in one year - according to a newly-uncovered document buried in a time capsule below the historic port’s streets.
The ‘Burgh of Leith Return of Crimes and Offences 1897’ was among a bundle of papers unearthed inside a statue of Robert Burns on Baltic Street during works on the Edinburgh Trams project.
The record, which provides a fascinating window into Leith life a full 22 years before it was assimilated into Edinburgh, details a litany of crimes committed by the Burgh’s estimated 75,000 population during a 12-month span.
Transgressions range from more common offences, including around 100 cases of assault and 209 thefts, to less familiar crimes, featuring one man arrested for bigamy and three caught ‘shebeening’ - an arhaic term for a more modern speakeasy.
The force ceased operation in November 1920 after a contentious referendum in which Leith became part of the Capital despite locals voting overwhelmingly against the proposal.
However, they were immortalised in police parlance for decades afterwards thanks to the tongue twister ‘the Leith Police dismisseth us,’ used by officers as far afield as Australia and New Zealand to test the sobriety of those believed to be overly inebriated.
Official figures from the document, published in January 1898, boast of the total number of crimes recorded by officers falling from 3,041 in 1896 to 2,830 a year later, with offences involving “drunk and incapable [persons] not having a proper person to take charge of them” down by 15.
Chief Constable Alex Main also lauded his officers for “keeping the Burgh free from serious crime” throughout the year.
No murders were recorded during the 12 months, however 76 ‘accidental deaths and sudden fatal casualties’ by means such as drowning, being crushed by machinery and two women dying as a result of a building collapse were included in the statistics.
Among the items found in the statue in December 2019 were newspapers from the era, a selection of coins of all denominations and a pamphlet containing information on the Burns’ club’s rules and members.
The record is available to view online here.
