Many, many, many years ago, when responding to a ‘domestic disturbance’ (we didn’t call it that), if it was obvious the wife had been beaten, the senior officer would remove his hat and pass it around. Cash was put in the hat by everyone present. Then the most junior officer would take the wife and any children out for dinner.

The husband was then tied to a chair and tuned up. At the end of the tune-up, it was explained that in one week officers would be returning to inspect the paperwork for a life insurance policy with the wife as beneficiary.

If the paperwork did not exist, another tune-up was in order. If the paperwork did exist, an explanation that if they had to respond there again the wife would be collecting the insurance. The world used to be a different place.