The Work of the Police in Great Britain

The essential responsibility of the central government for the preservation of law and order throughout Great Britain is reflected in the police powers granted by Parliament to the Home Secretary in England and Wales and to the Secretary of the State for Scotland in Scotland. These Ministers are concerned in the overall organization of the police service in that it is their function to approve voluntary and, if necessary, initiate compulsory police force mergers. They are also involved in its administration and operation, since they must approve the appointment of chief constables and assistant chief constables; and may require a police authority to retire a chief constable in the interest of efficiency; withhold the government grant paid to police authority if not satisfied that a force is being efficiently maintained; call upon any chief constable to submit a report on the policing of his area; or cause a local enquiry to be held. The Ministers are, in addition, empowered to make regulations as to the government, administration and conditions of service in police forces, and they have certain appellate functions in regard to police discipline.

All regular police forces have a uniform department which deals primarily with the prevention of crime and the protection of life and property, and a criminal investigation department, primarily responsible for the detection of crime and bringing offenders to justice. Most forces have additional departments and branches for dealing with special aspects of police work.

Because the visible presence of a constable is regarded as an important check on crime and disorder, and because a police officer must be immediately accessible to the public if he is to give effective help when it is needed, most members of a police force are officers in uniform – the majority on patrol.

The function of such officers is to be on the look-out for any breach of the law or any incident which requires their attention. In the course of their duties they may have to arrest people committing offences or (in certain cases) suspected of acting in an unlawful way, prevent disturbances or obstruction of the highway, deal with road accidents, give first-aid to sick or injured, escort children or elderly people across busy streets and give assistance or information to any member of the public who asks for help.

In most urban areas, a constable carries out these duties under a system known as "unit beat policing", which provides great flexibility of development and makes full use of modern communication techniques. The system consists in the main of assigning police officers to regular "beats", in which they are encouraged, where practicable, to live (so that they may establish close contacts with the public), and which they patrol-on foot at their own discretion.

Constables in rural districts have the same basic responsibilities as their colleagues in towns and cities, although their day-in-day work is likely to be of a different kind.

Other duties of the uniform branch include: "point duty" at street crossings for controlling the flow of traffic; the marshalling of crowds, the inspection of places of public entertainment; and the investigation of reports of lost property. In courts of law where civilians are not employed as court ushers, constables are responsible for controlling the admission of the public, supervising witnesses, taking charge of any exhibits relevant to the case being heard, ensuring the privacy of the jury " while they are considering their verdict, and keeping prisoners in custody. In England and Wales the police, in addition, decide whether or not to prosecute persons suspected of criminal offences.