Reading Task. Read the article about London police.
The History of the London Police
In 1700 London had no policemen at all. A few men protected the city streets at night.
Many people were poor and there were so many thieves who stole money in the streets that people stayed in their homes as 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 worked near Bow Street.
Fifty years later, there were 120 Bow Street Runners, but London had become very big and needed more policemen. In 1829, the first London Police Force was started with 3000 officers. Most of the men worked on foot, but a few rode horses.
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.
Answer the questions.
1. Why did people stay in their homes as much as possible? [1]
2. How did “Bow Street Runners” get their name? [1]
Choose True or False.
3. In 1800, there were not enough policemen in London. [1]
True False
4. All of the first 3000 London Police Force rode horses. [1]
True False
5. Today, police officers who work with horses are paid more than their colleagues.
True False [1]
