8 6 JUST ENGLISHI t’s Interesting t

8 6 JUST ENGLISH
I t’s Interesting to Know!
To be caught red-handed means to be caught in the act of crime. The guilt of the person is usually not in doubt. If you find a burglar in your living room holding some valuables that belong to you, then that person is said to have been caught red-handed.
Red-handedconnotes hands red with blood.The expression dates back to the time when it was almost impossible to prove that somebody was guilty of a crime unless the person confessed — usually under torture — or was caught in the act of committing a crime. One crime was the killing of another man’s cow, sheep or pig. There was also a law which forbade the killing of the king’s deer in the forests of England. If a person was caught in possession of fresh meat, this was not usually enough to prove the person’s guilt. It was only when a person was caught with both a dead animal and blood on his hands that there was enough evidence for the person to be arrested and then convicted.
ROLE-PLAY
The Lure of Shop-lifting
R ole-play the sto n e s above.
A ct as a Police Officer who stops, searches, questions theoffender a n d p rep a res a record o f the case f o r the m a g istra te’s court.
A ct as a Detained Person who is being questioned in p o lice custody.
U N I T 4
POLICE AND THE PUBLIC
The Lasting Principles
In 1829 Sir Richard Mayne, one of the founders of Scotland Yard, wrote: “The primary object of an efficient police is the prevention of crime
Chapter III. LAW ENFORCEMENT 87
and detection and punishment of offenders if crime is committed. To these ends all the efforts of police must be directed. The protection of life and property, the preservation of public tranquillity, and the absence of crime, will alone prove whether those efforts have been successful and whether the objects for which the police were appointed have been attained.”
In attaining these objects, much depends on the approval and co¬ operation of the public, and these have always been determined by the degree of esteem and respect in which the police are held. Therefore, every member of the Force must remember that it is his duty to protect and help members of the public, no less than to bring offenders to justice. Consequently, while prompt to prevent crime and arrest criminals, he must look on himself as the servant and guardian of the general public and treat all law-abiding citizens, irrespective of their race, colour, creed or social position, with unfailing patience and courtesy.
By the use of tact and good humour the public can normally be induced to comply with directions and thus the necessity for using force is avoided. If, however, persuasion, advice or warning is found to be ineffective, a resort to force may become necessary, as it is imperative that a police officer being required to take action shall act with the firmness necessary to render it effective.
TASK 1. Answer the following questions:
1.What are the objects of the police work according to Sir Richard Mayne?
2.How should the co-operation between the police and the public be
achieved?
3. Why is the principle of police-publicco-operation so important?
TASK 2. Read the text and translate the expressions given in bold type in writing:
Police Discipline
The police are not above the law and must act within it. A policc officer isan agent of the law of the land and maybe sued or prosecuted for any wrongful act committed in the performance of police duties. Officer sare also subject to a disciplinary code designed to deal with a buse of police powersandmaintain public confidence in police impartiality. If found guilty of breaching the code, an officer can be dismissed from the force.
Members of the public have the right to make complaints against police officers if they feel that they have beentreated unfairly or