Udel (nickname)
Udel (also Udl ) was a nickname for Hamburg police officers well into the 20th century. This name comes from the Low German word Uhlen for owls or night owls, from which colloquially Uhle , Udl or Udel became. In the vernacular , this was a common name for the night watch , from which the Hamburg police emerged in 1876. Another explanation for the origin of the word is the abbreviation of "uniformed service provider" (UDL).
Like real owls, the night watchmen were out at night. But it was said that the poorly paid and unmotivated guards, in contrast to their animal role model, not noticed anything in the dark and even slept here and there on duty.
Udeludeludel was a warning call among street boys when the police were on their way.
In 1988 the band Truck Stop wrote the title song for the ARD police series Großstadtrevier , which is playing in Hamburg, which reads “When the Udl comes around the corner, the Ede rips off because the Ede doesn't like the Udl. Ede likes to fish in murky waters and the Udl drives him out, around the clock, day after day ”. From Udl was then for the nationwide television version policeman .