74 • Our chief law enforcers — the police

laws to protect people who are being interviewed by the police, and it is responsible for detailed codes of practice that govern the manner in which these interviews should take place.

All suspects being interviewed now have the right to the advice of solicitors and to have them present at their interviews. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or some other 'responsible adult' concerned for their welfare. All interviews should now be tape-recorded, and copies of the tapes provided to the defence, so that the defendant and his lawyers will be able to check what the defendant said, and demonstrate any unfairness to the jury. These rules and codes of practice have done much to remove the serious disquiet which resulted from a number of sensational cases, where it had been possible to prove later that confessions which defendants had made to crimes were, in fact, untrue.

If lawyers representing a defendant believe that any action of the police investigating a case has been wrong or unfair, and that the result of that might affect the fairness of the defendant's trial, they will try to have the evidence in question ruled inadmissible (removed from the case altogether). Sections 76 and 77 of PACE 1984 attempt to ensure that any confessions to the police are made freely and are genuine; section 76 deals with the oppression of suspects, and section 77 protects the mentally handicapped.

TRAINING

The police are now a highly organised force. First, the new recruits must attend an 18-week residential foundation course. This period of intensive assessment and training will involve learning basic policing skills, and include physical training and self-defence, first aid, and a study of the law relating to the police. Just as important is the training in how to understand and communicate with people in a wide range of situations.

Every new constable, on appointment to the force, must make a solemn 'attestation' (as we will see, part of the attestation is echoed in the oath which judges must take on their appointment). It reads:

I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen in the Office of Constable without favour or affection, malice or ill-will and that I will to the best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved, and prevent all offences against persons and properties of Her Majesty's subjects, and that while I continue to hold the said office I will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, discharge all the duties thereof faithfully according to law.

The new police constable must then begin his or her career working 'on the

OUR CHIEF LAW ENFORCERS — THE POLICE • 75

beat'—patrolling the streets—and will do this for the rest of a probationary period, which is usually two years. New recruits are told: 'working the local streets with experienced colleagues, you'll learn how to relate to people, judge situations and act accordingly. With the support and constructive criticism of your colleagues, you'll gain experience of all types of police work and all aspects of our role within the community'. The career structure in the police force allows men and women the opportunity to be promoted from constable to sergeant, then through the various grades of inspector and superintendent, right up to the ranks of Deputy Chief Constable and Chief Constable. In London, the head of the force is called the Metropolitan Commissioner. He heads a force which now has over 30,000 police officers—more than one-fifth of all the officers in England and Wales.

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Each police force is supervised by a Police Authority. In England and Wales these consist of local councillors, magistrates, and other independent members. An independent body, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, investigates and deals with complaints against the police.

Ever since the first police force was founded, the police have come under criticism—for denying civil liberties, for failing to catch criminals, or for catching the wrong people. They have also been roundly criticised for discriminating against members of ethnic minorities. We will see something of how these problems may affect the community in Chapter 20. In some cases these criticisms have proved to be justified, and there has been a small number of extremely serious cases in which police officers, who have been paid to enforce the law, have been found to have broken it. These cases, which have resulted in serious injustice, have had a profound effect upon the whole criminal justice system and, of course, the police and the manner in which they carry out their duties. They have also resulted in very significant changes in the law, some being made on the direct recommendation of the Law Commission.

Criticisms of the police should be seen in proper perspective. Complaints against the police are normally carefully investigated, but few of them are found to be true; the problem is sorting out the good ones from the bad. It is easy for a criminal, who is upset at being caught and fearful of the consequences, to make a false complaint. It is also easy to dismiss a genuine complaint, which has been made by a man with a bad record, or a genuine complaint of racial discrimination.

The police perform many duties fundamental to the well-being of society but which are unlikely to make them popular. Some find it hard to accept that for every bad police officer, there are many good ones dedicated to the community in which they serve. Few people would wish to face and disarm a