T2.3.1 The role of the police Quiz: KS3 Citizenship, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is the main role of the police in the UK?

   • To run schools and hospitals in the local area for the community
   • To prevent crime, protect the public and keep order
   • To write new laws for Parliament to pass after each general election
   • To decide the sentences for criminals who have been found guilty in court

2. What is meant by policing by consent?

   • The police are paid by individual citizens for each service they provide
   • The police are chosen by the monarch and report directly to the royal household
   • The police rely on public approval and co-operation to do their job
   • The police can act without any public support because they have the law on their side

3. Which of these is an example of a police power?

   • Setting the rate of tax that citizens must pay to the government each year
   • Deciding the sentence after a trial in the Crown Court or magistrates' court
   • Voting on a bill in Parliament with other members of the House of Commons
   • Arresting someone suspected of committing a crime

4. Why are police officers accountable to the law?

   • So that they cannot use their powers unfairly or abuse their position
   • So that judges have no role in cases that involve police powers
   • So that they can ignore the law when it suits them in a particular situation
   • So that the monarch can overrule them in every case they investigate

5. What is a police caution?

   • A formal warning given to an offender instead of a court case in some situations
   • A fine paid directly to a police officer at the scene of the offence
   • A sentence given after a jury trial in the Crown Court for a serious offence
   • An order that the offender must leave the country within a set period

6. Which of these is a way the police keep in contact with local communities?

   • Choosing councillors who will represent each ward in the local authority
   • Neighbourhood policing teams that work with residents and local groups
   • Writing laws for local councils to follow in the areas they cover
   • Running local shops that sell goods to the public in the community

7. A police officer stops a person to ask questions about a reported crime. Which principle should guide the officer's action?

   • Acting without any legal basis
   • Ignoring the rights of the person
   • Using their powers lawfully and fairly
   • Deciding the outcome of the investigation

8. Why do police officers need training in human rights?

   • So that they can avoid public contact while carrying out their duties
   • So that they respect people's rights while enforcing the law
   • So that they can rule on court cases in the magistrates' courts
   • So that they can break the law more effectively when investigating crime

9. Which of these is a common reason that police may stop and search someone?

   • They are wearing a school uniform that looks like it belongs to a known offender
   • They have a favourite colour that the officer is known to dislike in public
   • They have reasonable grounds to suspect the person has something illegal
   • They are walking on the pavement near a busy road in the middle of the day

10. Why is it important that police record their actions?

    • So that they can avoid answering questions from members of the public about their actions
    • So that the monarch can read them each morning as part of a daily review
    • So that their conduct can be checked and questioned if necessary
    • So that the courts do not need to look at any evidence in the case

11. Which of these is the main role of the Independent Office for Police Conduct?

    • Setting the police budget for each force across the country each year
    • Writing police training manuals used by officers in every force in England
    • Investigating serious complaints against the police in England and Wales
    • Deciding which crimes are prosecuted in the courts after a police investigation

12. A witness wants to report a crime but is unsure who to contact. Which is the best advice?

    • Contact the police, or call 999 in an emergency
    • Ask the monarch for help
    • Post about it on social media only
    • Wait until the crime is reported by someone else

13. What is a community support officer?

    • A local councillor who runs a police station on behalf of the council
    • A civilian member of staff who helps the police with community tasks
    • A member of the House of Lords who checks police spending on behalf of the peers
    • A judge who hears minor cases in the local magistrates' court each week

14. Which of these best describes the police's role in investigating crimes?

    • Gathering evidence to see whether a person should be charged
    • Imposing the final sentence on an offender who has pleaded guilty in court
    • Deciding the verdict of the court after hearing the evidence in the trial
    • Writing the law that makes the offence a crime in the first place

15. Why do police forces work with other organisations, such as schools and councils?

    • To make laws for the councils to follow in the areas that the police serve
    • To tackle problems like anti-social behaviour and keep communities safe together
    • To run the courts and decide the outcome of cases brought by the police
    • To avoid their duties to the public by focusing on paperwork and reports

16. Which of these is a right of a person who is arrested in the UK?

    • To refuse to speak to a solicitor forever
    • To be told the reason for their arrest
    • To be taken to a court without being told why
    • To choose the arresting officer

17. What does 'stop and account' mean?

    • A jury delays its decision while the judge considers the evidence
    • An officer stops someone to ask them to explain what they are doing
    • A court orders a witness to stop talking during the hearing
    • An officer decides a case without a trial in the magistrates' court

18. Which of these is most likely to damage trust in the police?

    • Officers explaining their decisions to the public
    • Officers working closely with the community
    • Officers responding to emergency calls quickly
    • Officers using their powers unfairly or without good reason

19. Why might the police work with schools to prevent crime?

    • Pupils can be arrested for attending school without permission from a parent
    • Schools are responsible for making laws that the police must enforce
    • Education and early intervention can reduce the chance of young people offending
    • Schools decide what counts as a crime and which offences are punished

20. A community is worried about a rise in anti-social behaviour. What is the best first step for local police and residents to take together?

    • Ignore the problem until it stops by itself after a few months
    • Work together to identify problems and agree practical solutions
    • Post rumours about individuals online to put pressure on them to stop
    • Ask the monarch to pass a new law banning the behaviour in the area

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