Law enforcement in the United Kingdom

The police authorities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have grown both civil and military partly not uniformly organized and historically such as in France in part.

According to the then Home Secretary Robert Peel, who coined the British police system crucial that police officers are often called Bobby. This rather well-intentioned nickname is widely known abroad. Bobby traditionally shall not carry firearms, but only batons.

Structure

The majority of police are territorial police forces ( Territorial Police ) who are responsible for individual regions of the United Kingdom, and often emerged from historical predecessor organizations. However, this notion of territorial police is not defined by law. Equivalent to the term Home Office policy will be used. This term is less meaningful because it is not true outside of England and Wales and includes special police forces, who report to the Interior Ministry. The territorial police forces are each independent authorities and on an equal footing. The fact that the Metropolitan Police Service in London, the oldest criminal investigation in the United Kingdom provides (founded in 1829 in the building Scotland Yard ), has that authority gives a large archive and a very extensive experience in crime fighting and crime-solving in the course of time. This meant that London's Criminal Investigation officials were asked by other police forces in the UK to provide assistance at an early stage. Service district of a territorial police is the police district ( Police area).

Then there are the four special police forces (special police), the British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the, the Ministry of Defence Police and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency. Special police forces are not fixed to the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency on a district but in a subject and the corresponding geographical area. For example, correspond to the rights of the British Transport Police on railway land which the territorial police and are limited outside of this area. This restriction does not apply to assistance and imminent danger. The special constables (such as: special police ), however, police volunteers are doing both at Territorrial - as well as special police service.

There are also private constabularies who exercise police or security tasks based on historical rights or on the basis of the common law. You are limited to certain areas or activities, such as ports and parks. Before the entry into force of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 they were also designated as special police forces. This term is still sometimes used colloquially for them, even though he is no longer correct. They are not subject to the police powers but other provisions applicable, for example, dock or harbor facilities. Until entry into force of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, the British Transport Police has held this status.

Furthermore, there are also law enforcement agencies, the regulations prevail without being a police authority. Your servants have not the status of a police officer.

The various police structural reforms have meant that you can not tell whether a police officer is subject to the defense or the interior ministry, since all wear the same uniforms and the colors of the emergency vehicles can not but differ only in use in their membership each other. Only police their own aircraft pilots such as helicopters are painted differently by police to police.

Using the example of London can also show well how the British police is partly organized with several agencies in one place, since there are four authorities here with police violence: the Metropolitan Police for the City of London in charge City of London Police, the British transport Police ( railway Police ) and the Harbour Authorithies ( port authorities ).

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005 in London, was tried again to reform at the national level, the British police forces and unify structurally throughout the Kingdom, what but the influence of conservative, locally patriotic, political forces on the grounds that it is precisely this event have shown how excellent worked together all these police forces failed.

Legal bases

Legal basis for the territorial police forces are the Police Act 1964 for England and Wales, the Police ( Scotland) Act 1967 for Scotland and the Police ( Northern Ireland) Act 2000 for Northern Ireland, with which only the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Police Service of Northern Ireland has been renamed. Through these laws, the rights and duties of the police authorities have been determined, with the full rights and obligations exist only in the particular area of ​​law and are limited in the other two areas. This does not apply if the police are working to provide assistance in another district or prisoners are transported.

Ranks

In most police departments, there are the ranks Constable, Sergeant, Inspector, Chief Inspector, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Assistant Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Chief Constable. The ranks Constable to Chief Superintendent a "Police" for uniformed or a " Detective" in non- uniformed officers is prefixed. Ranks from Assistant Chief Constable will be referred to as senior officers. In this area, some authorities have additional or different terms. Sometimes there are also less Ranks in Port Police authorities.

Police authorities

England

London Region

  • City of London Police
  • Metropolitan Police Service

Eastern Region

  • Bedfordshire Police
  • Cambridgeshire Constabulary
  • Essex Police
  • Hertfordshire Constabulary
  • Norfolk Constabulary
  • Suffolk Constabulary

South East Region

  • Hampshire Constabulary
  • Kent Police
  • Surrey Police
  • Sussex Police
  • Thames Valley Police

South West Region

  • Avon & Somerset Constabulary
  • Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
  • Dorset Police
  • Gloucestershire Constabulary
  • Wiltshire Constabulary

East Midlands Region

  • Derbyshire Constabulary
  • Leicestershire Constabulary
  • Lincolnshire Police
  • Northamptonshire Police
  • Nottinghamshire Police

West Midlands Region

  • Staffordshire Police
  • Warwickshire Police
  • West Mercia Constabulary
  • West Midlands Police

North East Region

  • Cleveland Police
  • Durham Constabulary
  • Humberside Police
  • North Yorkshire Police
  • Northumbria Police
  • South Yorkshire Police
  • West Yorkshire Police

North West Region

  • Cheshire Constabulary
  • Cumbria Constabulary
  • Greater Manchester Police
  • Merseyside Police
  • Lancashire Constabulary

Scotland

  • Central Scotland Police
  • Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
  • Fife Constabulary
  • Grampian Police
  • Lothian and Borders Police
  • Northern Constabulary
  • Strathclyde Police
  • Tayside Police

Wales

  • Dyfed - Powys Police ( Welsh: Dyfed Powys Heddlu )
  • Gwent Police ( Welsh: Heddlu Gwent )
  • North Wales Police ( Welsh: Heddlu Gogledd Cymru )
  • South Wales Police ( Welsh: De Cymru Heddlu )

Northern Ireland

  • Police Service of Northern Ireland

Special police

  • British Transport Police
  • Civil Nuclear Constabulary
  • Ministry of Defence Police
  • Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency
Police ranks of the United Kingdom
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