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The History of the London Police

Today there are policemen everywhere but in 1700 London had no policemen at all. A few old men used to protect the city streets at night and they were not paid very much.

About three hundred years ago London was starting to get bigger. The city was very dirty and many people were poor. There were so many thieves who stole money in the streets that people stayed in their homes so much as possible.

In 1750 Henry Fielding started to pay a group of people to stop thieves. They were like policemen and were called ‘Bow Street Runners’ because they were working near Bow street.

Fifty years later there were 120 Bow Runners but London had become very big and needed more policemen. So, in 1829 the first metropolitan (or London) Police Force was started with 3000 officers.

Most of them were working on foot but a few rode horses. Until 1920 all the police in London were men. Today London police are quite well paid and for the few police officers who still ride horses the pay is even better than for the others.

1. In 1700 there were __ .

A. policemen everywhere;

B. policemen only in London;

C. no policemen in London.

2. 300 years ago many people __ .

A. came to London ;

B. wanted to leave London;

C. had big houses in London.

3. The Bow Street Runners __ .

A. stole money;

B. stopped people stealing;

C. paid people to steal.

4. In 1800 there were __ .

A. enough policemen;

B. not enough policemen;

C. too many policemen.

5. Of the first 3000 Metropolitan Policemen __ .

A. all of them rode horses;

B. some of them rode horses;

C. most of them rode horses.

6. Today police officers who work with horses are paid __ .

A. more than their colleagues;

B. the same as their colleagues;

C. half as much as their colleagues.

Write complete answers to these questions.

1. Who protected the streets of London at night in 1700?

2. What was the city like 300 years ago?

3. Why did Londoners stay in their homes as much as possible?

4. Why did Henry Fielding begin to pay a group of people in 1750?

5. How many officers were there in Metropolitan Police Force in 1829?

6. Who is paid better: the policeman who works with horses or who works on foot?