Men joining English borough police forces typically had no clear idea what kind of job they were in for. Most held the common working-class perception that police constables were paid a regular wage for walking around doing little more than keeping their eyes open and collaring drunks. Their formal training promoted the official image of policemen as neutral upholders of law and order. Where recruits learned the realities of policing was from experienced police officers. Successful policemen took their duty of protecting the public seriously but they learned to carry it out based on experiences in the streets rather than on romantic imagery or working-class misperceptions.