Common Purpose and Values of the Metropolitan Police

“The purpose of the Metropolitan Police Service is to uphold the law fairly and firmly; to prevent crime; to pursue and bring to justice those who break the law; to keep the Queen’s Peace¹; to protect, help and reassure people in London; and to be seen to do all this with integrity, common sense and sound judgment.

We must be compassionate, courteous and patient, acting without fear or favour or prejudice to the rights of others. We need to be professional, calm and restraint in the face of violence and apply only that force which is necessary to accomplish our lawful duty.

We must strive to reduce the fears of the public and, so far as we can, to reflect their priorities in the action we take. We must respond to well-founded criticism with a willingness to change.”

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¹to keep the Queen’s Peace – обеспечивать общественный порядок и безопасность (гарантируемые короной всем подданным и находящимся под ее защитой лицам)

Task 23. Complete the following word combinations to name the common purposes of the Metropolitan police service; translate them into Russian.

to uphold … to protect, help and …

to prevent … to reduce …

to pursue and bring … to reflect the public's …

to keep … to respond to …

Task 24. Practise the following for pronunciation.

panda /'pxndq/ signed /saInd/

distinctive /dIs'tINktIv/ permission /pq'mISn/

health /helT/ afflict /q'flIkt/

firearms /'faIqrRmz/ complaint /kqm'pleInt/

gunfight /'gAnfaIt/ incompetent /In'kPmpItqnt/

politician /"pPlI'tISn/ intentionally /In'tenSqnqli/

diplomat /'dIplqmxt/ miscarriage /"mIs'kxrIG/

airport /'eqpLt/ justice /'GAstIs/

circumstances /'sE:kqmstxnsIz/ apparently /q'pxrqntli/

Task 25. Read and translate the text.

Keeping law and order

Police officers are to be seen in towns and cities keeping law and order, either walking in the streets or driving in cars known as “panda cars” because of their distinctive markings. The police have regular meetings with social workers and health officers. They visit schools to give talks, they meet the children and try to show them that the police are their friends to whom they can go if they are in trouble.

In most countries the police carry guns. The British police generally do not carry firearms. They are not armed to avoid street gunfights in which innocent people might get killed. Only about 10 % police officers in Britain are trained to use firearms – well below that of any other police force in the world. A few policemen are regularly armed, for instance, those who guard politicians and diplomats or who patrol airports. In certain circumstances specially trained police officers can be armed, but only with the signed permission of a magistrate.

The police officers of today need a great variety of new professional skills to deal with modern crime. Therefore all members of the police must have gained a certain level of academic qualifications at school and undergone a period of intensive training.

It is no use pretending that the British police are absolutely perfect. In recent years there have been quite a lot of problems. The most common complaint about the police is that they are incompetent. The victims of crime often say that it is not worth calling the police because they will do nothing. In the eyes of the public, police incompetence or misconduct had either caused innocent people to be sent to prison or had allowed guilty ones to escape punishment.

It is even more serious when the police intentionally do things wrong. There have been a number of cases of miscarriage of justice, where, by lying or concealing evidence, the police have managed to have innocent people sent to prison. They apparently wanted to show results, even if the wrong people suffered.

One of the recent surveys showed that one in five people believe that the police use unnecessary force on arrest, falsify statements, plant evidence and use violence in police stations. In such circumstances there is clearly a critical need to rebuild public confidence. The way the public feel about the police is of fundamental importance to police ability to control crime and maintain public order.

Task 26. Find the English equivalents for the following word combinations; memorize them.

1. уличные перестрелки

2. пройти курс интенсивной подготовки

3. (не)стоит делать что-либо

4. в глазах общественности

5. некомпетентность полиции или плохое исполнение ею своих обязанностей

6. позволить виновному избежать наказания

7. случаи судебных ошибок

8. фальсифицировать показания

9. подбрасывать улики

10. прибегать к насилию

11. восстановить доверие общественности

Task 27. Match the words from columns A and B to make word combinations; translate them into Russian.

A B

innocent officers

social airports

professional punishment

unnecessary statements

academic firearms

street qualification

health killed

to get evidence

to use skills

to patrol workers

to falsify force

to guard gunfights

to carry people

to escape politicians

to conceal

to plant

Task 28. Fill the gaps with prepositions; translate the sentences.

1. The demonstrators offered little or no resistance … the police.

2. The court has no jurisdiction … foreign diplomats.

3. He derives a lot of pleasure … making decisions and giving orders.

4. The government will be responsible … the President alone.

5. The driver is responsible … the safety of his passengers.

6. We are all subject … the law of the land.

7. This treatment should be taken … the supervision of a doctor.

8. I take full responsibility … breaking the window.

9. City police said the man was armed .. a revolver.

10. I have absolute trust … the skill of the doctors.

Task 29. Answer the questions.

1. When was the first police in Britain set up?

2. Why were the new police called "bobbies"?

3. What was the area of responsibility for the newly formed police?

4. What were the duties of the Metropolitan police?

5. How did citizens view constables at first?

6. What principles did the Metropolitan Police Act establish?

7. Why did British police decide to call themselves the Police Service instead of Police Force?

8. In what way are British police different from police forces in other countries?

9. How many regional police forces are there in Great Britain?

10. How is a single standard of law enforcement maintained throughout the country?

11. What are local police authorities responsible for?

12. How independent is the Chief Constable in his decisions?

13. What are the grades of subordination in British police?

14. What police services are responsible for maintaining law and order in London?

15. What are the main duties of the Metropolitan Police?

16. Where is the CID of the Metropolitan Police based?

17. What are its most famous departments?

18. What are British police officers armed with?

19. What are the most common complaints about the Police?

20. What do the police do to establish better relations with the community?

Task 30. Translate the texts in writing.

1.The Police and the Public

There was a time when the British police service was a source of great pride. Unlike police in almost every other country, the British policeman enjoyed a trusted, respected and friendly relationship with the public. The system of policing was based on each police officer having his own “beat”, a particular neighbourhood which he controlled on foot or sometimes on bicycle. The local bobby was a familiar figure on the street. In return, the public placed a high level of trust in his integrity.

Attitudes towards the police have changed in Britain over the years. The traditional image of the friendly bobby on the beat, a policeman going round his local area on foot or on a bicycle armed only with a whistle and a truncheon is now out of date. The modern police officer, man or woman, is more likely to be patrolling in a police car and to have less contact with the public. As a result, individual police officers became remote figures and stopped being the familiar faces that they once were.

At the same time, the police have to deal with large-scale riots and other breaches of public order. Many people, especially the young ones, started to see the police as the symbol of everything they disliked about the society. Dishonesty, racial prejudice and excessive use of force by some officers have also damaged the image of the police. Insulting names such as the fuzz or coppers or pigs are now common.

In response, the police have tried to get rid of dishonest officers and build better relationships with local communities. More police now patrol on foot again, instead of in cars. The fact that they are unarmed is good for their public image; they look less threatening.

There is still a great deal of public sympathy for the police; it is felt that they are doing an increasingly difficult job under difficult circumstances. Generally speaking, the relationship between the police and the public in Britain compares quite favourably with that in some other European countries.