What are rights in relation to the police?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the role of the police, including their powers and a citizen’s rights in relation to the police.
Key learning points
- Police enforce laws, prevent crime, protect the public, and maintain order while building community trust.
- Police respond to emergencies, investigate crimes, and ensure justice while safeguarding people and property.
- Police can arrest suspects, search properties with warrants, or stop and search based on reasonable suspicion.
- Citizens must be treated with dignity, informed of their rights, and given access to legal support during arrests.
- Vulnerable individuals need an appropriate adult present during questioning and have rights to basic care.
Keywords
Enforce - to make sure laws or rules are followed
Police powers - the legal authority given to police to maintain order, prevent crime and protect the public
Dignity - being treated with respect and fairness
Common misconception
Police are just authority figures who punish people.
Police protect communities, prevent crime, and ensure safety, not just enforce punishment. They also help in emergencies.
Teacher tip
Make links with your community policing team to invite a police officer into your class to talk through police powers in more detail.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the main role of the legislature in the UK?
Q2.Why is legislation important?
Q3.Match the word to the correct definition.
law that punishes individuals who break the law
law that deals with disputes between individuals or groups
law made by the decisions of judges over time
Q4.The legislative process ensures that laws reflect society's __________ and values.
Q5.What is the purpose of precedent in common law?
Q6. ensure justice, fairness, safety, and clarity, protecting rights and providing rules for society.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the correct definition.
to make sure laws or rules are followed
the legal authority given to police to protect the publicc
being treated with respect and fairness
Q2.Which set of words correctly completes this sentence? Police can arrest __________ , search properties with __________ , or stop and search based on __________ .
Q3. individuals need an appropriate adult present during questioning and have rights to basic care.
Q4.How must citizens be treated during arrests?
Q5.__________ law resolves disputes and ensures justice when people's rights are affected, like family or work issues.
Q6.Who is common law created by?
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: What are rights in relation to the police?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: What are rights in relation to the police?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the Does our legal system protect citizens' rights? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.