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Do UK police have an obligation to enforce the law?

Back in the 80s the chief constable of South Wales, if I remember correctly, used to make up his own firearm regulations which made processing of firearm certificate applications very slow. Eventually he was brought to court and I believe they charged him with "failing to expedite the course of the law".

So, is there any obligation or duty on the UK police forces to enforce the law? Or can they just ignore offences if they don't feel like doing their job, the way US police can?

No best answer without an authoritative reference.

Update:

Where do you deluded yanks (I am a US citizen) get the idea that your police have any obligation to protect you or enforce the law? If you clever folks do a little research you will easily find plenty of articles detailing the US police lack of legal obligation to enforce the law. Calling 911 to report a crime in progress does not result in any legal obligation on the police to do anything about it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotu...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of...

Update 2:

Unless you can back up your claim with an authoritative reference you are just typing for fun. I am talking to lawyer friends about this and "Fred on the Internet said..." has zero standing in that sort of discussion.

Update 3:

Neither I nor anyone I know has been the subject of any police action in at least the last 20 years, other than as a victim or minor traffic tickets. None of us have ever had any reason to complain about the police. This was brought up by the discussion of the biker gang beating of a man in New York last week and the fact that six (6!) NYPD officers (two sergeants, one detective, three officers actually) were present and did nothing.

8 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 6
    8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    No, not really. This parliament link http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN04230 says "There is case law to suggest that, although under a general duty to uphold the law, chief officers of police retain discretion as to the degree of effort they will attach to enforcing any particular law at any particular time.

    The discretion possessed by the police in enforcing the criminal law was considered by the Court of Appeal in the case of R v Metropolitan Police Commissioner, ex parte Blackburn (1968)"

    Ultimately, any attempted prosecution would have to be in the public interest. An example of this would be, everybody knows that it is illegal for someone under the age of sixteen to have sex, but if a 15 year old and a sixteen year old were to have consensual sex prosecution would be highly unlikely. This is because it just wouldn't be in the the public interest.

  • 5 years ago

    1

    Source(s): Criminal Records Search Database - http://criminalrecords.raiwi.com/?uQIQ
  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    In the United Kingdom the police's main purpose is to enforce the law. That is the sole reason why they were created.

    Other methods that they use to "keep the peace" have evolved over the last couple of hundred years. For example some police forces and some individual policemen exercise discretion and give warnings when they could actually effect an arrest and prosecution. But that is a discretionary power and should never be taken as evidence that the police are not obliged to enforce the law.

    There is some evidence that in a few other countries the police force exist primarily to protect the resident political regime. This is not always the same as maintaining the rule of law, but it usually maintains "order" by some sort of fear or force.

    Our view of the US police forces is given by the television programmes and Hollywood films. I really hope that these stories of policing methods and the individual "cops" are not accurate. If they are then you Yanks deserve our sympathy.

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    Well damn, I guess us yanks as you call us don't have a right to speak since you are all high and mighty and such. I guess the genocide of the Cellts and the oppression that goes on today doesn't happen as well. The truth is we don't have the corner of corruption, even though I will admit our government does more than it's fair share both to our citizenry and abroad.

    In short, yes, the police in every country have a duty to enforce the laws in their own jurisdiction within their own borders. The fact that police departments and governments worldwide shirk this responsibility regularly does not make it any less of a responsibility.

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    Where do you get the idea the US police can ignore the law?

    A few stupid hicks will claim this, but the books are filled with laws which are there specifically to make police officers and bureaucrats comply with the law code. You'll find that every local cop who boats they wont' be complying with a particular law is actually just a politician, who says this in public to get votes.

  • 8 years ago

    well of coarse they can not just ignore crimes when they feel like it but that is not to say they must get the force helicopter out because some on stole the Vickers bike.

    in other words just because you might feel they are not doing enough does not mean they are not

    if your not happy with how the police have dealt with you then make a complaint

    Source(s): my head
  • 8 years ago

    Within reason they can use their own judgement but for serious offences no they can't.

  • Cee
    Lv 7
    8 years ago

    Simon's answer is correct.

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