Year 8 · Citizenship · Laws and justice · Lesson 2

The police: powers and rights

The police in England and Wales: their roles, policing by consent, stop and search and arrest, the rights of suspects and young people, the age of criminal responsibility and how the police are held accountable.

17-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

Watch free for a month

What your child will learn

Describe the role of the police
Explain stop and search and arrest
Know the rights of people who are arrested
Debate a police power fairly

The method

What it allows.
For.
Against.
Judge.

Key words: police, policing by consent, stop and search, arrest, rights, appropriate adult, IOPC.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

Give one role of the police.

Step 1: Crime

Answer: prevent/investigate crime, keep the peace, protect the public

Question 2

What does ‘policing by consent’ mean?

Step 1: Support

Answer: the police rely on public support and trust

Question 3

What must police have to stop and search you?

Step 1: Grounds

Answer: reasonable grounds for suspicion