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In the UK, Cambridge and Oxford have their own police force.

foldr 12y ago
Oxford doesn't any longer, according to the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Police http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Police
dagw 12y ago
I thought Oxford University disbanded their police force years ago.
lmm 12y ago
Cambridge and Oxford are public institutions that predate most of our government, not companies. (Heck, they're older than the very concept of a joint-stock corporation)
Silhouette 12y ago
Cambridge and Oxford have their own police force. That is true on a technicality, at least for Cambridge. Cambridge University has the University Constabulary[1], and for historical reasons its members really do have the powers of constables, though only within a few miles of the traditional centre of Cambridge. In reality, they are primarily a ceremonial unit and occasionally useful for public order purposes at university events. If anything serious goes wrong, it's going to be regular police officers who come and arrest the guilty parties, and in any event, anyone charged with criminal behaviour in connection with the university will be tried in the same courts as everyone else and prosecuted by the same public authorities as anyone else. Oxford and Cambridge both go back a long way, and it's true that there have have been some surprising and/or amusing laws relating to them as a result. However, like most widely reported antiquated laws in the UK, a lot of them are either myths or long-since repealed. For example, every summer, we get a few students doing silly things while under the influence and then learning to their cost that the old chestnut about police officers needing permission to enter the grounds of a university college isn't actually going to stop police officers coming in and arresting them. Pro-tip: If you're ever visiting the Cambridge colleges, be nice to the porters. They are the traditional gatekeepers of the colleges, the role is widely respected for the support they give both students and staff, and for the most part they are very friendly and helpful. However, a surprising number of them are doing it as a change of direction following a distinguished career in the military or police services, and they can be much scarier than the University Constables if anyone makes trouble... [1] http://www.proctors.cam.ac.uk/directory/constabulary http://www.proctors.cam.ac.uk/directory/constabulary

foldr 12y ago

Oxford doesn't any longer, according to the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Police http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Police

dagw 12y ago

I thought Oxford University disbanded their police force years ago.

lmm 12y ago

Cambridge and Oxford are public institutions that predate most of our government, not companies. (Heck, they're older than the very concept of a joint-stock corporation)

Silhouette 12y ago

Cambridge and Oxford have their own police force. That is true on a technicality, at least for Cambridge. Cambridge University has the University Constabulary[1], and for historical reasons its members really do have the powers of constables, though only within a few miles of the traditional centre of Cambridge. In reality, they are primarily a ceremonial unit and occasionally useful for public order purposes at university events. If anything serious goes wrong, it's going to be regular police officers who come and arrest the guilty parties, and in any event, anyone charged with criminal behaviour in connection with the university will be tried in the same courts as everyone else and prosecuted by the same public authorities as anyone else. Oxford and Cambridge both go back a long way, and it's true that there have have been some surprising and/or amusing laws relating to them as a result. However, like most widely reported antiquated laws in the UK, a lot of them are either myths or long-since repealed. For example, every summer, we get a few students doing silly things while under the influence and then learning to their cost that the old chestnut about police officers needing permission to enter the grounds of a university college isn't actually going to stop police officers coming in and arresting them. Pro-tip: If you're ever visiting the Cambridge colleges, be nice to the porters. They are the traditional gatekeepers of the colleges, the role is widely respected for the support they give both students and staff, and for the most part they are very friendly and helpful. However, a surprising number of them are doing it as a change of direction following a distinguished career in the military or police services, and they can be much scarier than the University Constables if anyone makes trouble... [1] http://www.proctors.cam.ac.uk/directory/constabulary http://www.proctors.cam.ac.uk/directory/constabulary