How do the British spend their leisure time?
Britain's
most common leisure activities are home-based or social. Watching
television and videos, and listening to the radio are by far the most
popular leisure pastimes, with an average of 20 hours a week devoted
to these. Britain's regular weekly dramas or 'soap operas' such as
'EastEnders' and 'Coronation Street' have more viewers than any other
programme.
Listening to music is also a popular pastime, with nearly 140 million compact discs (CDs) bought in 1995. Pop and rock albums are the most common type of music bought, and pop is by far the most popular form of musical expression in Britain.
The
most common free-time activity outside the home amongst adults is a
visit to the pub. Other popular leisure activities include visits to
the theatre or cinema. There are over 1,500 cinemas in Britain, and
in 1995 nearly one in five adults visited the cinema two or three
times. Britain also has about 300 theatres, of which about 100 are in
London. Britain's most famous theatre company, The Royal Shakespeare
Company, performs in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace,
and in London.
Of all sporting activities, walking is by far the most popular for men and women of all ages. Whilst men tend to dominate golf and cue sports such as snooker and billiards, women generally prefer swimming, keep-fit classes and yoga.
How are the police organised?
There are 52 police forces in Britain, mainly organised on a local basis. The Metropolitan Police Force and the City of London force are responsible for policing London.
Each force in England and Wales is responsible to a police authority consisting of local councillors, magistrates and independent members. Since April 1996 the police authority in Scotland comprises four joint police boards made up of local councillors. The police force in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, is responsible to an independent police authority appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. For historical reasons, the Home Secretary is responsible for London's Metropolitan Police Force, advised by the Metropolitan Police Committee. For the City of London Police the authority is a committee of the Corporation of London.
Provincial forces are headed by a chief constable, deputy chief constable and assistant chief constable. The top Metropolitan Police ranks are the commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner, deputy assistant commissioner and commander. Thereafter all ranks are the same in the forces - chief superintendent, superintendent, chief inspector, inspector, sergeant and constable.
Police community liaison consultative groups operate in every police authority; they consist of representatives from the police, local councillors and community groups. Most forces use customer surveys to provide information on public attitudes. These are used to shape the standards of service being provided.
The heart of policing is the work done by police constables, who are in constant contact with the public. They patrol the streets on foot or in cars, give advice and deal with disturbances. Local crime prevention panels each one assisted by the police - identify crime problems and try to tackle them through publicity. The police are closely involved in setting up 'neighbourhood watch' schemes, advising residents on home security and encouraging residents to keep an eye on properties in their area and pass on information to the police about suspicious people or vehicles.
There are about 150,000 full-time police officers in Britain, of whom around 12 per cent are women.