I. po ‧ lice 1 S1 W1 /pəˈliːs/ BrE AmE noun [plural]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: Late Latin politia 'government' , from polites ; ⇨ ↑ politic ]
1 . the people who work for an official organization whose job is to catch criminals and make sure that people obey the law:
Police surrounded the courthouse.
2 . the police the official organization whose job is to catch criminals and make sure that people obey the law:
Quick! Call the police!
By the time the police arrived the man had fled.
He was arrested by the police for dangerous driving.
He plans to join the police when he leaves school.
⇨ ↑ military police , ↑ secret police
• • •
GRAMMAR
Police and the police are plural:
▪
Police are still searching for the murder weapon.
▪
The police were called.
Do not say 'a police'. Say a police officer , a policeman , or a policewoman .
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ verbs
▪ call the police
Staff called the police when they noticed a broken window.
▪ tell the police ( also inform the police formal )
I think we should tell the police.
▪ report something to the police
Why are so many crimes not reported to the police?
▪ the police investigate something
Sussex Police are investigating a break-in at the club.
▪ the police catch somebody
The police are no nearer to catching his killer.
▪ the police arrest somebody/make an arrest
The police arrested Mr Fox as he tried to leave the country.
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Officer Singer said the police have made no arrests in the robbery.
▪ the police question/interview somebody
Police are questioning two men about the deaths.
▪ the police charge somebody (=officially say that someone will be judged in a court for committing a crime)
The police have charged the parents with murder.
▪ the police hold somebody ( also the police detain somebody formal ) (=keep them at a police station)
The police can hold suspects for up to 48 hours without charge.
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The police detained several activists, but released them after questioning.
▪ the police release somebody
The police released William and all charges were dropped.
▪ the police appeal for something
Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack.
▪ the police raid/storm a place
The police raided his home and took his computer.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + police
▪ armed police
Armed police surrounded the house.
▪ uniformed police
Uniformed police and plainclothes detectives were present in large numbers.
▪ riot police
Riot police moved in with tear gas.
▪ traffic police British English
Traffic police closed the motorway after the accident.
■ police + NOUN
▪ a police investigation
Despite a police investigation, no arrests were made.
▪ a police raid (=a surprise visit made by the police to search for something illegal)
Six people were arrested in a police raid on the bar.
▪ a police escort (=a police officer or officers that go with someone to guard or protect them)
The teams will parade through the city with a police escort.
▪ a police cordon (=a line of police officers who are preventing people going somewhere)
The demonstrators tried to break through a police cordon.
▪ the police force
Her son is in the police force.
▪ a police officer
The police officer asked to see his driving licence.
▪ a police station (=building where the police work)
They took him down to the police station to ask him some questions.
▪ a police car
The men were being followed by an unmarked police car.
▪ a police dog
Police dogs were used to catch the thieves.
▪ police brutality/harassment (=when the police hit or threaten people)
He claims to have witnessed many instances of police brutality.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ people in the police
▪ police officer ( also officer ) a member of the police. In British English, police officer is used especially in more formal contexts, for example in news reports. In everyday English, British people still usually say policeman or policewoman :
a senior police officer
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He was sentenced to life in prison for killing a police officer.
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He is the officer in charge of the case.
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Officer Fayard (=in the US ‘Officer’ is used in the title of police officers)
▪ policeman a man who is a member of the police:
an off-duty policeman
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He’s a former policeman.
▪ policewoman a woman who is a member of the police:
The girl, accompanied by a policewoman and two social workers, was seen in private by Sheriff George Crozier.
▪ PC/WPC abbreviation used in the job titles of British police offiicers. PC means ‘Police Constable’ and WPC means 'Woman Police Constable':
PC Keith Fletcher
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WPC Susan Larkin
▪ detective a police officer whose job is to discover who is responsible for crimes:
Detectives are investigating the death of a baby boy.
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Detective Inspector John Hartwell
▪ plain-clothes adjective a plain-clothes police officer wears ordinary clothes instead of a uniform:
Two plain-clothes police officers, acting as hotel security men, kept watch on him.
▪ constable a British police officer of the lowest rank:
a police constable
|
Constable Robin Cameron
▪ chief constable a senior police officer who is in charge of the police in a particular area in Britain:
the chief constable of North Yorkshire police
▪ cop informal a police officer:
You’d better call the cops.
▪ trooper a US police officer in a state police force:
a New Jersey state trooper
II. police 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to keep control over a particular area in order to make sure that laws are obeyed and that people and property are protected, using a police or military force:
The army was brought in to police the city centre.
2 . to control a particular activity or industry by making sure that people follow the correct rules for what they do:
The agency was set up to police the nuclear power industry.
⇨ ↑ policing