Police: services the police can provide

The police might be the first people you'd call in the event of a burglary or street crime, but you might not think to use the police to find second hand goods or if you were being bullied. Take a look at some of the many other things the police can do...

Police auctions
Police auctions are held all the time—how else do you think police forces get rid of lost, stolen or seized goods? So if you're looking for a cheap car, jewellery, a bicycle or a mobile phone, your local police auction could be just the place. Most forces use local auction houses to carry out the auction on their behalf, so ring round to find your nearest one. You'll be amazed at the low prices.

Protecting victims of prejudice
Ever been bullied or abused or been affected by someone else's prejudice against your race, religion or sexual orientation? Many police forces have specialist people in their Community Safety Unit that can support you and give you practical assistance and advice to deal with what's happened to you.

Using police dogs to find hostages
You might think about the police using a vicious dog to apprehend a criminal, but did you know that police dogs can be used to search houses, locate drugs, sniff out explosives, keep crowds at bay and even find missing hostages? You'd be surprised what our canine friends do for police forces.

Providing information to tourists
Most of us have probably asked a policeman or policewoman for directions at some time or another. But did you know some forces have special sections on their website providing information to tourists on how to safely look after themselves? The Metropolitan Police website offers all kinds of tips to foreign tourists, for instance.

Giving free crime prevention advice
If you've ever been burgled, chances are the police have advised you on how to avoid it happening again. But did you know you can call the Crime Prevention Office at your local police station at any time for advice on preventing crime?