Unit 15 Enforcing the Law in Britain

Before you read

Discuss these questions.

1. What is the meaning of the term ‘Legal system’?

2. How do you understand the purpose of legal system?

3. Do you trust your legal system?

Text a The English Legal System

It is often said that the English legal system looks very fair in theory, but in practice it is difficult for ordinary people to use. Firstly, it is extremely expensive: a good lawyer costs two hundred pounds per hour. Secondly, it is very formal with all sorts of rules in the court. Until recently the judge and the lawyers used to wear extraordinary old-fashioned costumes: black robes, high white collars and white wigs. The inside of the court is rather like a church, with the judge looking down from a seat above the court.

The English legal system gives the judge a lot of freedom in deciding on the sentence. The lightest sentence possible is community service. This means unpaid work for a fixed number of hours, on jobs such as painting hospital buildings or gardening for elderly people. There are also fines for smaller things like parking in the wrong place, and these fines are usually not big.

But fines can be used for serious crimes, too, if a criminal can not be imprisoned – for example, when a company breaks the law. Then rich people or organizations sometimes pay millions of pounds.

The standard punishment for serious offences is prison. Many people feel that criminals should go to prison, but it is far from the perfect answer to the problem. When prisoners are released, they often carry on with their lives of crime; in fact, they meet other criminals inside, get ideas from them, and make useful contacts. The prison system is extremely expensive. Yet judges continue to send large number of people there.

There is no death penalty in Britain. It was abolished more than 40 years ago. Although some people think that it must be introduced again, it will hardly ever happen.

Vocabulary

abolish v отменять

carry on with v продолжать

community service n общественные работы

cost v стоить; обходиться

death penalty n смертная казнь

fine n штраф

hardly ever почти никогда

it is far from отнюдь не; ничуть не; далеко не

prison n тюрьма (долгосрочного заключения); prisoner n заключённый

punishment n наказание

robe n мантия

wig n парик

Reading tasks

Answer these questions.

1. Why is the legal system in Britain difficult for ordinary people to use?

2. How much does a good lawyer cost?

3. What did the judge and the lawyers used to wear?

4. What is the lightest sentence possible in Britain?

5. In what cases is an offender liable to a fine in Britain?

6. What is the standard punishment for serious offences?

7. Why is the prison system far from perfect?

8. What is the public sentiment about the death penalty in Britain?

Text b The British Police

Police forces in Britain developed throughout the centuries, taking various forms.

After much deliberation in Parliament, the British statesman Sir Robert Peel in 1829 established the London Metropolitan police, which became the world's first modern organized police force.

The force was guided by the concept of crime prevention as a primary police objective; it also embodied the belief that such a force should depend on the consent and cooperation of the public, and the idea that police constables were to be civil and courteous to the people. The Metropolitan police force was well organized and disciplined and, after an initial period of public skepticism, became the model for other police forces in Great Britain. Several years later the Royal Irish Constabulary was formed, and Australia, India, and Canada soon established similar organizations. Other countries followed, impressed by the success of the plan, until nations throughout the world had adopted police systems based on the British model. The development of the British police system is especially significant because the pattern that emerged had great influence on the style of policing in almost all industrial societies.

The British police officer is a well-known figure to anyone who has visited Britain or who has seen British films. Policemen are to be seen in towns and cities keeping law and order. In the past, policemen were often known as ‘bobbies’ after Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the police force. Nowadays, common nicknames include 'the cops', 'the fuzz', 'the pigs', and 'the Old Bill' (particularly in London). Few people геаlize, however, that the police in Britain are organized very differently from many other countries.

Most countries, for example, have a national police force which is controlled by central Government. Britain has no national police force, although police policy is governed by the central Government's Home Office. Instead, there is a separate police force for each of 52 areas into which the country is divided. Each has a police authority – a committee of local county councellors and magistrates.

The forces co-operate with each other, but it is unusual for members of one force to operate in another's area unless they are asked to give assistance. This sometimes happens when there has been a very serious crime.

The London police is known as Metropolitan Police with the headquarters known as Scotland Yard – or simply “the Yard”.

In most countries the police carry guns. In Britain, however, this is extremely unusual. Policemen do not, as a rule, carry firearms in their day-to-day work, though certain specialist units are trained to do so and can be called upon to help the regular police force in situations where firearms are involved, e.g. terrorist incidents, armed robberies, etc. The only policemen who routinely carry weapons are those assigned to guard politicians and diplomats, or special officers who patrol airports.

In certain circumstances specially trained police officers can be armed, but only with the signed permission of a magistrate.

All members of the police must have gained a certain level of academic qualifications at school and undergone a period of intensive training.

Each police force has its own Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Members of CIDs are detectives, and they do not wear uniforms. The other uniformed people you see in British towns are traffic wardens. Their job is to check that people do not park their cars in the wrong place or for longer than is allowed.

The duties of the police are varied, ranging from assisting at accidents to safeguarding public order and dealing with lost property. One of their main functions is, of course, apprehending criminals and would-be criminals.