police

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Civil law-and-order force. In the UK, it is responsible to the Home Office, with 56 separate police forces, generally organized on a county basis; mutual aid is given between forces in circumstances such as mass picketing in the 1984–85 miners' strike, but there is no national police force or police riot unit (such as the French CRS riot squad). The forerunners of these forces were the ineffective medieval watch and London's Bow Street runners, introduced in 1749 by Henry Fielding, which formed a model for the London police force established by Robert Peel's government in 1829 (hence ‘peelers’ or ‘bobbies’); the system was introduced throughout the country from 1856.

Landmarks include: Criminal Investigation Department detective branch of the London Metropolitan Police (New Scotland Yard) (established in 1878), recruited from the uniformed branch (such departments now exist in all UK forces); women police (1919); motorcycle patrols (1921); two-way radio cars (1927); personal radio on the beat (1965); and Special Patrol Groups (SPG) (1970), squads of experienced officers concentrating on a specific problem (New York has the similar Tactical Patrol Force). Unlike most other police forces, the British are armed only on special occasions, but arms issues grow more frequent. In 1997 the London Metropolitan Police Force had about 27,000 officers, one for every 255 citizens.

Blue represents Finland's 60,000 lakes. White stands for the snow which covers the ground for 5–7 months each year. Effective date: 1 June 1978. >>