Further Steps and Location

The new headquarters was established at 4 Whitehall Place, and the back entrance, used by visitors to the Commissioners, was in Scotland Yard.

The first officers went out on patrol on the streets of London on the evening of Friday 25th September 1829. It was not until later that regular patrols during the day were started.

It is interesting to note that even within the Metropolitan Police District there still remained certain police establishments, organized during the eighteenth century, outside the control of the Metropolitan Police Office, viz: The Bow Street Patrols, mounted and foot, the latter commonly called the “Bow Street runners”; Police Office constables attached to the offices of, and under the control of, the Magistrates; The Marine or River Police.

The new force took over some of the old watch houses, but also acquired new premises which were called “stations”, “guardhouses” or “depots”. Initially there were eight Divisions, staffed by “companies”, each with a designated letter of the alphabet, and with a Superintendent in charge. By 1839 all these establishments had been absorbed by the Metropolitan Police Force.

Peel's proposal that senior uniformed ranks should be filled from below and not brought in from the higher social classes has been followed to this day. Peel himself said that he accepted low pay for the men as he did not want any policeman feeling superior to the job or his colleagues.

In addition to the headquarters at New Scotland Yard, there are 140 police stations in London. These range from large borough headquarters staffed around the clock every day to smaller stations which may be open to the public only during normal business hours, or on certain days of the week.

Most police stations can easily be identified from one or more blue lamps located outside the entrance, which were introduced in 1861.

A traditional blue lamp as seen outside most police stations. This one is outside Charing Cross police station.

The Metropolitan Police Service (abbreviated to MPS and widely known informally as “the Met”) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the “square mile” of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police.

The Met’s significant functions are to co-ordinate and lead on counter-terrorism matters and protect the British Royal Family and senior figures of Her Majesty's Government.

The Met employs full-time personnel including sworn police officers, non-police staff, and non-sworn police community support officers. Besides there are Special Constables, who work part-time (a minimum of 16 hours a month) and who have the same powers and uniform as their regular colleagues.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, commonly known simply as the Commissioner, is the overall operational leader of the force, responsible and accountable to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime.

Glossary to the text “Further Steps and Location”

absorb — поглощать

accept — принимать, допускать

by-law — распоряжение местных властей (организации)

conceal — скрывать

design — намерение

empower — уполномочивать

house — помещать, располагать

loiter — бездельничать, слоняться

merge — соединяться

parish — церковный приход

remit n — круг обязанностей, сфера компетенции

swear — клясться, присягать

viz — а именно

watchmen — стража, караул

Task 2. Make up word-combinations:

appoint	low pay
approve	constables
absorb	the disorganized system
accept	the use
empower	establishments
replace	(somebody) to apprehend disorderly persons

Task 3. Match the synonyms:

establish	get
replace	attack
urban	set up
assault	hide
acquire	city
conceal	substitute

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