Chapter 11: The law
The police and the public
Image of the friendly British ‘bobby’ with his own beat: typical British policeman,
carried no gun only a helmet, seen as a familiar figure (trust). The system of
policing was based on a single police officer with his own ‘beat’ a particular
neighbourhood which it was his duty to patrol, on foot or by bicycle.
Change in the 1960s: crime grew and individual police men stopped being the
familiar faces that they once were. A lot more public demonstrations, people
started to see police as symbol of everything they disliked in society. Now called
‘fuzz’, ‘cops’ or ‘pigs’.
Police drama: television series about the police, show their real problems and
failings. Examples: Z Cars, The Bill, The Cops…
Public relations: to get the people’s trust back, work on public relations like foot-
patrols, name badges etc.
Organisation in Britain: no national police force, 50 or more separate forces, each
responsible for a certain geographical area.
Metropolitan Police: ‘the Met’, controls Greater London and has more direct
control. They perform national police functions (registration of all crimes in
England and Wales; missing person register).
Criminal Investigation Department (CID): controls police quarters in Britain
New Scotland Yard: building, headquarter of the CID
Miscarriages of justice: when the police falsifies evidence or withheld other
evidence, examples: the Bridgewater Four, a series of pub bombings by the IRA in
the 1970s.
The image of crime:
most crime committed by young men
criminal behaviour increasing the fastest with pensioners
o have less money for their old age because they are living longer
o feel pressure to maintain a high standard of living
Crime and criminal procedure
Question about increase of crime: Not sure if crime has increased in the last few
decades. For example: more people have reported rape but does that mean that
there were more instances of rape?
Fear of crime: this has increased.
Lack of confidence: in the ability of the police to catch criminals.
The police and the public
Image of the friendly British ‘bobby’ with his own beat: typical British policeman,
carried no gun only a helmet, seen as a familiar figure (trust). The system of
policing was based on a single police officer with his own ‘beat’ a particular
neighbourhood which it was his duty to patrol, on foot or by bicycle.
Change in the 1960s: crime grew and individual police men stopped being the
familiar faces that they once were. A lot more public demonstrations, people
started to see police as symbol of everything they disliked in society. Now called
‘fuzz’, ‘cops’ or ‘pigs’.
Police drama: television series about the police, show their real problems and
failings. Examples: Z Cars, The Bill, The Cops…
Public relations: to get the people’s trust back, work on public relations like foot-
patrols, name badges etc.
Organisation in Britain: no national police force, 50 or more separate forces, each
responsible for a certain geographical area.
Metropolitan Police: ‘the Met’, controls Greater London and has more direct
control. They perform national police functions (registration of all crimes in
England and Wales; missing person register).
Criminal Investigation Department (CID): controls police quarters in Britain
New Scotland Yard: building, headquarter of the CID
Miscarriages of justice: when the police falsifies evidence or withheld other
evidence, examples: the Bridgewater Four, a series of pub bombings by the IRA in
the 1970s.
The image of crime:
most crime committed by young men
criminal behaviour increasing the fastest with pensioners
o have less money for their old age because they are living longer
o feel pressure to maintain a high standard of living
Crime and criminal procedure
Question about increase of crime: Not sure if crime has increased in the last few
decades. For example: more people have reported rape but does that mean that
there were more instances of rape?
Fear of crime: this has increased.
Lack of confidence: in the ability of the police to catch criminals.
