Read the interview with a police officer. Dramatize it. Then sum up the information you learnt from the interview about the British police.

- What is it like to be a police officer in London?

We asked Karen Giles, an experience Metropolitan Police Officer.

- How long have you been a police officer?

I joined the Metropolitan Police Service which is based in London and Greater London just over twenty eight years ago. It is a very large police force with about thirty one thousand police officers and sixteen thousand civilian staff. The City of London has its own police service.

- Why did you decide to become a police officer?

I decided to join the police service after a police woman visited my school when I was about fifteen years old. I live in a small town in the South West of England and my mother was very worries when I decided to travel to London to join the police.

- What is your typical working day?

I work on the response team which means that we answer calls made to Scotland Yard and the local police station by people from the local community. We deal with family arguments, people who have had their homes broken into, assaults – lots of very different situations.

It is a challenging job and there are many different aspects to policing a large city. Some of my colleagues have police dogs, some ride police horse, others ride police motorbikes and many work in plain clothes.

I work shifts which means that I work two early turns (06.00-14.00 or 15.00), two late turns (13.00-23.00) and then two night duties (21.00-06.00) and then I have four days off.

- What are the most challenging aspects of your job?

It is difficult sometimes because there are many tragic situations which need to be dealt with by police – people who die suddenly as a result of accidents or who have been attacked. It is important to be compassionate and strong in these situations.

- Are British police officers armed?

Most British police officers do not carry firearms. There are teams of officers who have extra training an carry guns but they are only called in for very serious incidents where perhaps a person has used a gun.

- What skills and personal qualities do you need to be a police officer?

The skills you need as a police officer in the UK are varied. You need a very good sense of humour, a strong constitution (can’t faint at the sight of blood!), a sense of duty in serving the community, like talking to people (I talk a lot!) and most of all believe in the importance of law and order.

1. Find equivalents to the following Russian words and phrases in the interview above and explain in what situations they were used in the text:

Опытный, Столичная полиция, Большой Лондон, штатский персонал, сойти с поезда, пугаться, иметь дело с кем-либо, спор, совершать кражу со взломом, нападение, работать посменно, смена, сострадательный, случай (происшествие), умения(навыки), качество, разнообразный, телосложение (конституция), упасть в обморок.

9. Master your vocabulary in the topic “Crime and Criminals”

а) Try to remember the names of crimes.

burglary — проникновение в жилище с целью совершить

преступление
kidnapping – похищение людей
arson - поджог ,

shoplifting — кража в магазинах

blackmail — шантаж

smuggling - контрабанда

forgery - подлог

fraud — мошенничество

terrorism — терроризм

drug pushing — распространение наркотиков

vandalism — вандализм

robbery — ограбление

manslaughter — неумышленное убийство

murder – предумышленное убийство

b) What do you call the criminals who commit these crimes?

c) What are the crimes described in the following situations?

1. He threatened to send the love letters to her husband unless

she gave him money.

2. The telephone box had been smashed and there was graffiti all over the walls.

3. Department stores lose millions of pounds each years through the theft of goods off the shelves.

4. Thieves broke into the house while the family was away on holiday.

5. He watched with satisfaction as the fire he lit burnt down the factory. ‘That'll make them wish they'd never given me the sack,’ he thought.

6. It was a perfect copy. It was so good, in fact, that it could even fool an expert.

7. The bank believed her to be trustworthy. They had no reason to suspect that she had transferred thousands of pounds to false accounts.

8. 'If you want to see your child again, put £50,000 in an old suitcase and wait for further instructions'.

9. George gave the man £50 in return for a small-packet of heroin.

10.. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and people were sitting
outside the cafe enjoying the sunshine. Then the bomb went off.

11. 'If only I hadn't brought these watches through customs' she
thought as she sat crying in the police station.

10. Read the text and explain why a police officer has to ‘caution’ the person who is being arrested.

The police can arrest someone if they think she/he has done something serious (e.g. murder, rape or armed robbery), or if they suspect she/he is intending to commit a crime.

A police officer must explain to the person why she/he is being arrested. Then the person who is being arrested is ‘cautioned’. The police officer says: ‘You don’t have to say anything unless you wish to do so, but what you say may be given in evidence.’ Their right of silence is a basic principle of British law and allows people to say nothing until they’ve talked to their solicitor.