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CONSTITUTION
Unwritten constitution: Britain is a constitutional monarchy. That is, it is a country governed by a
king or queen who accepts the advice of a parliament. Britain is almost alone among modern states in
that it does not have ‘a constitution’. Of course, there are rules, regulations, principles and procedures
for the running of the country. But there is no single written document which van be appealed to as
the highest law of the land. Nobody can refer to ‘article 6’ or ‘the first amendment’ or anything like
that, because nothing like that exist.
Parliamentary sovereignty: is a principle of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament the supreme
legal authority in the UK which can create or end any law. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most
important part of the UK constitution.
LEGAL POSITIONS
Lord chancellor: Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the government of the
United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State after the Lord High
Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. The
Lord Chancellor is responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts. The
current Lord Chancellor is Robert Buckland.
Lord chief justice: the highest-ranking law officer in England and Wales, presiding over the Court of
Appeal (Criminal Division). responsible for the functioning and independence of the courts, and
formerly presiding over the Court of Appeal, House of Lords, and the Chancery Division.
Barrister (queen’s counsel (qc): Barristers are specialist legal advisers and court room advocates.
They are independent, objective and trained to advise clients on the strengths and weaknesses of their
case. They have specialist knowledge and experience in and out of court, which can make a
substantial difference to the outcome of a case. A limited number of senior barristers receive 'silk' -
becoming Queen's Counsel - as a mark of outstanding ability. They are normally instructed in very
serious or complex cases. Most senior judges once practiced as QCs. In order ‘to take silk’ a lawyer
usually has to serve as a barrister for at least 10 years. Recently, solicitors have also been appointed
Queen’s Counsel.
Solicitor: Mainly performs legal work outside the court. Solicitors have special knowledge of
different areas of the law such as family, crime, finance, property & employment. It does contracts,
wills, divorces & presenting clients’ case in Magistrate Court.
Justices of the peace (jp): Magistrates, who are also known as Justice of the Peace (JPs), are not
trained lawyers. They are ordinary people of good reputation who have been appointed to the job by a
local committee. They do not get a salary or fee for their work. Magistrates (also called Justices of the
Peace) are unpaid volunteers and come from a wide range of backgrounds and occupations – from bus
drivers to architects, pilots to mechanics, nursery nurses to retired people, unemployed to teachers.
They are ordinary men and women with common sense and personal integrity. They are able to listen
to all sides of an argument and can contribute to fair and reasonable decisions. You do not have to
have any legal qualification.
Lord advocate: The Lord Advocate, also known as Her Majesty’s Advocate, is the senior Scottish
Law Officer. The following are the Lord Advocate’s main functions:
- head of the systems for the investigation and prosecution of crime and investigation of deaths
- principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government
, - representing the Scottish Government in civil proceedings
- representing the public interest in a range of statutory and common law contexts
Attorney general: The UK Attorney General offers legal advice to the government in England and
Wales. Officially known as Her Majesty’s Attorney General for England and Wales, the attorney
general works with the subordinate solicitor general as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its
government.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Territorial police forces: Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional
police services (known as territorial police forces) within one of those jurisdictions. Who carry out the
majority of policing. These are police forces that cover a police area (a particular region) and have an
independent police authority.
Metropolitan police (MET): which polices Greater London and over which central government has
more direct control. The ‘Met’ performs certain national police functions such as the registration of all
crimes and criminals in England and Wales, and the compilation of the missing persons register
Scotland yard: The headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police. Located on the river Thames at
Victoria Embankment, north of the Westminster bridge in the city West minster.
Secret intelligence service (MI6): MI6, formally Secret Intelligence Service, British government
agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and appropriate dissemination of foreign intelligence.
MI6 is also charged with the conduct of espionage activities outside British territory.
Security service (MI5): MI5, formally Security Service, intelligence agency charged with internal
security and domestic counterintelligence activities of the United Kingdom.
Difference between MI5 and MI6?
MI5 deals with threats inside the UK (Domestic intelligence), and MI6 combats overseas threats
(foreign intelligence.) MI5 investigates matters of national security in the UK (investigates terrorists,
counterinsurgency, etc.). MI6 (now SIS) gathers intelligence pertenant to the UK's international
affairs - spying on Iraq for example. (MI stands for Military Intelligence.)
Government communications headquarters (GCHQ): GCHQ is one of Britain's three major
Intelligence Agencies. GCHQ works in partnership with the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret
Intelligence Service (MI6) to protect UK national security interests. GCHQ is responsible for
providing Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance. Its main customers are the UK
Government and the British Armed Forces.
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