VI. Insert the articles if necessary.

Policemen and policewomen today have to deal with … very serious problems such as … continuing crime, drug misuse, terrorism as well as … number of other problems like … relations with … ethnic communities.

… civilian police are responsible in Britain for … maintenance of law and order. The duties of … police are varied, ranging from assisting at accidents to safeguarding public order and dealing with … lost property. One their main function is, of course, … control of crime.

Though … duties and functions of … British police are broadly similar to many other countries, it is organised very differently in that Britain has no national police force controlled by central government.

VII. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

Outside London the police are all local forces, there are 52 separate police forces … each area (43 … England and Wales, eight … Scotland and one … Northern Ireland), which corresponds either … county council or … regional areas. Each regional force has a local police authority — a police committee … local councillors and magistrates, which are charged … law enforcement … their localities. In the 41 police areas outside London, they normally have 17 members - nine locally elected councillors, three magistrates and five independent members. The professional head … each regional force is the Chief Constable, who is responsible … all operational and administrative decisions including the actions … the force.

VIII. Explain the italicized grammar constructions in the following sentences.

1. Policemen and policewomen today have to deal with very serious problems such as continuing crime, drug misuse, terrorism.

2. The duties of the police are varied, ranging from assisting at accidents to safeguarding public order and dealing with lost property.

3. The oldest police force in Britain is the Metropolitan Police, which

was founded in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel to combat crime in London, and from which the modern forces have grown.

4. The professional head of each regional force is the Chief Constable, who is responsible for all operational and administrative decisions including the actions of the force.

5. The Home Secretary and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Secretaries, together with police authorities and chief constables, are responsible for providing an effective and efficient police service in the UK.

IX. The word ‘police’ means, generally, the arrangements made in all civilized countries to ensure that the inhabitants keep the peace and obey the law. The word also denotes the force of peace officers employed for this purpose.

Which of the following actions can be performed by a police officer? Sort out the odd words. Explain your choice.

- to apprehend;

• to defend in court;

• to convict;

• to detain;

• to imprison;

• to investigate;

• to lock up;

• to safeguard;

• to plead guilty;

• to search;

• to seize;

• to sentence;

• to take into custody.

CHAPTER 5.

BRANCHES OF LAW

Unit 5.1

What is law?

Pre-reading task.

Study the dictionary definitions of law below. Note down any differences and similarities. Write your own definition of law.

“Law is a customary rule recognized by a community as binding”. (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1989).

“Law is a rule, usually made by a government, that is used to order the way in which a society behaves, or the whole system of such rules”. (International Dictionary of English, Cambridge University Press, 1995).

“Law is the body of rules or principles, prescribed by authority or established by custom, which a state recognizes as binding on its members.” (New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, Surjeet Publications, 1989).

Notes

binding – обязательный

rules – правила

to prescribe – предписывать

to establish – устанавливать

customary – привычный, основанный на опыте