CJS - The Police

CJS - The Police

1. 'New police'

   • Sir Robert Peel (the Home Secretary)
     • Metropolitan Police Act 1829
   • Unpopular
     • Working Class - Oppressive Force
     • Middle and Upper Class - threat to liberty from 'government spies'

2. Power

   • Police have enormous amount of power over the populance: e.g. stop and search, arrest, detention, interrogation.
     • To use power successfully and be seen as legitimate, the police have to be accountable for the powers they have.
       • Legitimacy - A process whereby the police service gains a moral grounding through the public consenting to their authority and regime.
         • Abiding by the same rules as the public instils legitimacy in the public.
       • Accountability - Police are not above the law, they must operate within the same laws as the public.