The Meaning of Authority

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The Meaning of Authority

Authority:

This can be defined as the power or right to give orders or make

decisions an example of this being used is "he has the authority to

issue warrants".

Authority is what maintains discipline; it enforces rules and

regulations (helps to maintain it). Authority can come from one person

or a group of people. Authority can have different meanings depending

on the context in which it’s used in, it can mean:

Y When somebody’s opinions is accepted because they have better

knowledge on the subject area

Y The right to enforce obedience on others

Y Or when a person in authority passes power onto another person, then

people follow the commands given.

How I would personally define authority:

I would personally define authority as the quality that allows you to

hand out orders and have people followed them due to the respect they

have towards you.

Authority in the public services:

It is vital that authority within the public services in maintained.

Police Complaints authority:

There is a commission in charge of complaints made about any of the 43

Police forces in England and Wales. This is knows as the Police

Complaints Authority (PCA), this is an independent commission, it was

setup by the government back in 1985,

The PCA doesn’t only investigate complaints about the police force it

also investigates complaints about any of the following:

Y National Crime Squad

Y National Criminal Intelligence Service

Y British Transport

Y Ministry of Defence

Y Port of Liverpool

Y Port of Tilbury

Y Royal Parks Police

The PCA set standards for the way...

... middle of paper ...

...the

events that occurred in Nazi Germany if more people had questioned

what they where doing many lives could have been saved.

So basically obedience can be a very good positive aspect of everyday

life, especially within the public services.

Nevertheless there can also be tragic consequences of obedience if it

used in the wrong way. People obey and carry out actions that they

may think are wrong because People in authority who issue the orders

take away the responsibility from those who obey.

For example, the person who obeyed would probably say 'I was only

carrying out orders' or because the people in authority often possess

visible badges or signs of their superiority. These consist of special

uniforms and titles. Having such obvious reminders of who's in charge,

most people find it difficult not to obey.

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