Reading Task 1. 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 fe ofw 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.