Whats your opinion of the Police in your country?

[Enkidu88]

The Seattle Police Department seems to go into full-on SWAT mode a bit too easily, and they were unnecessarily confrontational during the Occupy protests. They've also been deleting and hiding dash cam videos to cover up improper conduct, so yeah, I don't have a lot of respect for the leadership and tactics of the SPD. I think the organization as a whole needs to be overhauled.

That said, I've known several beat cops in the SPD that are nice guys and the two times I've been pulled over they've been cordial and respectful. I try to treat cops with respect unless they give me reason to do otherwise, but that's my philosophy when I deal with anyone.

 

[The Ubermensch]

Western Australia Reporting

Coppers aren't bad as a statement, but you do get good cops and bad cops. Around here a bad cop, or rather I should say an over-zealous cop, tend to either learn their lessons quickly with a brick to the head or get posted on traffic. I think its an issue with the training; unfortunately the shield wont protect you from a gang of ten hoodlums when you're out on your own, but that's what they seem to teach

Traffic police, now I hear things, but... I drive pretty damn recklessly and not once have I been pulled over. When I went to get my motorcycle licence I was riding with only a learners permit for a good 4 months (the first week I actually had it, I came off for the first time... Oggy Knobs people! they fucking work, only the break pedal and the exhaust were superficially damaged). I've been pinged for speeding a few times, but never been pulled over for a booze bus or... anything really, by some fucking miracle.

Still... as the song goes...

The instant we get complacent is the instant corruption sets in

 

[Callate]

Varies enormously state by state, and even city by city and service by service (say, police vs. sheriff's department vs. state troopers.)

I have a fairly high opinion of my local sheriff's department, who blocked off the scene to prevent further accidents after a van rammed my car.

The Seattle police whose essential response to our car being broken into was "you should have had a wheel immobilizing device"? Shall we say... not so much.

 

[Clearing the Eye]

I am firmly of the belief that while respect and credit can be and indeed are deserved in some cases, the police force, like any government body, should come under a certain amount of mistrust and criticism from the public and they should also be made aware of this scrutiny. While I don't advocate any form of blatant unrest for its own sake or the bullying and abuse of police officers in any way, I believe it the responsibility of the public to hand out both applause and harsh critique evenhandedly. It can be a fine line to tread, but the old adage of "A comfortable government is a corrupt government," is quite accurate.

I make it my duty to ensure the police I come into contact with are given no quarter and stick to the word of the law to the up most degree. For example, if asked a question or requested to allow access to private property, I insist proper paperwork be sought by the officer(s) and provided to myself before any such assistance will be provided. I do this not because I have anything to hide, but to ensure any regulatory group or other such arm of the government not be given access to shortcuts or allowed passage past civil rights.

With this in mind, I respect the vast majority of police officers for their sacrifice (their job is a hard, underpaid one that takes a lot of dedication) but would not allow the force on a whole to rest on its laurels.

 

[JochemHippie]

They're people like any other, and the pay isn't that hot. So the ones that do the job do it out of a more idealistic sense. Few rotten apples discarded ofcourse.

Low rate of armed murder and other crimes, and everytime the police fires a shot it's frontpage news with a article about why it was fired. I'm pretty happy with that.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I don't disrespect the police here in the UK, though I do resent the constant erosion of even a semblance of civil liberty. They don't always get things right, but I think the major issues with the force (eg. racism, etc) are much less relevant these days. The nicest thing I can probably say about them, is thank Heavens they aren't american police.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

I live in a small town in America, so the cops here are crazy bored trying to arrest every public drunk and pull over any kid driving they see. I got pulled over for "driving too long on the turn lane" because I was lost, but they wanted to know if I was drunk or high or a kid breaking curfew (it was at 2 am). I wouldn't mind them being bored, but the jails in my county are way too overcrowded from minor crimes. You just have to wonder what is wrong with the system if innocent people get nervous whenever they see a cop car drive past.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Outside of the Met, which tends to get into the news the most for racism and corruption, British police have a reputation for honesty, fair-handedness and competency, thankfully.

People doing a difficult job where they hae to deal with a lot of stick. Good on them.

UK here, they're usually ok. Have met a few bad ones but considering they're not exactly considered intimidating around here, most people just ignore them.

You know the police are underpowered when five of them show up to stop a fight and both people keep fighting

Our police are friendly but inneffectual. Or are they friendly BECAUSE they are inneffectual? Or ineffectual BECAUSE they are friendly? I have no idea. Either way i felt safer on the streets of Paris with all these armed policemen making a presence clear than i do in england where i NEVER see police on the streets. I dont feel very safe. I do feel very safe from police brutality though.

 

[manic_depressive13]

I'm sure they do a fine job when they're not intimidating participants of peaceful demonstrations or harrassing homeless people.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I'm a white young male so maybe that has something to do with it, but I have always met friendly cops.

Once me and my friends when in a car, my friend was driving. He stopped hard at a stop light and reved the engine next to a cop. He signaled to roll down the window and we did. He then proceeded to ask us where we heading to.

My idiot friend screamed "Going to raise some hell!"

the cop just smiled and said "Ok, don't get caught."

-shrug-

I never met a bad cop before. Hell I even have some of their phone numbers from back when I was in the explorers.

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

I find the UK police pretty good; most of the problems stem from perhaps over-politicisation and public overly mistrusting the police - such as not reporting a crime or coming forward as a witness because the "police are ineffectual"...urm...why do you think they are ineffectual if you don't come forward?

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I'm in Australia, and while I hear of the occasional misuse of force, I never see them outside of train stations. The two experiences I have had with them that stick in my mind are every news broadcast, when the guy is completely inept at speaking English with their overuse of plurals, and one time when I see a bare-chested Lebanese youth bound up the station stair and try to vault over the ticket barrier when the police guy is running behind him, headlocks the guy mid-vault, and drags him back over and arrests him. So yeah...they're awesome.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Outside of the Met, which tends to get into the news the most for racism and corruption, British police have a reputation for honesty, fair-handedness and competency, thankfully.

People doing a difficult job where they hae to deal with a lot of stick. Good on them.

This, police are generally good here but have their hands tied my stupid government policies. Although they're not very good with protests or people jumping ticket barriers.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Eh, it depends. There are undoubtedly good cops over here in the States... but there will always be a few bad eggs...

 

[redisforever]

Most of the ones in my area are dicks. Just arrogant bastards. Not all, as I've met some really nice ones, but most are dicks. Now, in Downtown Toronto, most of the ones I met are really friendly.

 

[Ethan Asia]

I've always liked UK policemen. They have nice helmets.

I was on the street yesterday and there was a police demonstration going on; people getting to sit in the police cars, chatting to the officers, trying on handcuffs, there was even a few armed officers giving little talks about their weapons and letting people hold them. They seemed like really nice people, and despite the display of rather heavy ordinance, the place felt relaxed and happy to have them among the public.

I've been in countries where the display of a pistol on a policeman's belt is the norm, and I can say that doesn't make me feel safe at all, which, I remind everyone, is a function of the police. I like to see British policemen on the streets; they don't give off the impression of "we are your subjugators" like I've heard a lot of people saying about foreign police forces. It's a shame I'll be seeing less and less of them, due to our police cuts, but that's a different story.

 

[xdiesp]

Isn't this a wonderfully american question? I mean, see the underlying xenophobia: "I've just witnessed how corrupt and useless the cops in the US are, now tell me how bad they are in your country too". Wrong, pal, it's all your damn business to deal with!

 

[BakedAlaskan]

I'm currently living in Spain but live permanently in the UK and I've a positive opinion of British police in general. In Spain the police seem pretty relaxed in doing their job and this rubs off on you. They will walk past people drinking and smoking weed in the streets in most places if it doesnt offend people around you and they have a good rapport with the public. Each department is staffed with local people so the officers know the area they patrol and many grew up there. Their uniforms look pretty modern and they can wear shades all day too! No issues with the police and if anything I would happily approach an officer for help.

They even multi-task and do traffic crossing duty for school kids in the morning here in Madrid! They wave and say hello to complete strangers. I'm all for this. In the UK we get lollipop ladies for that job- equally pleasant old-timers in high viz jackets

 

[Penguinis Weirdus]

Outside of the Met, which tends to get into the news the most for racism and corruption, British police have a reputation for honesty, fair-handedness and competency, thankfully.

People doing a difficult job where they hae to deal with a lot of stick. Good on them.

UK here, they're usually ok. Have met a few bad ones but considering they're not exactly considered intimidating around here, most people just ignore them.

You know the police are underpowered when five of them show up to stop a fight and both people keep fighting

Our police are friendly but inneffectual. Or are they friendly BECAUSE they are inneffectual? Or ineffectual BECAUSE they are friendly? I have no idea. Either way i felt safer on the streets of Paris with all these armed policemen making a presence clear than i do in england where i NEVER see police on the streets. I dont feel very safe. I do feel very safe from police brutality though.

I wouldn't say that they are ineffectual because they're friendly, I'd say they're ineffectual because they're either held back when they need to be allowed to intervene, we never really see them on the streets (at least not in my home town, and some in the town centre of my uni town). I think the problem also lies repeatedly things like the phone hacking scandal comes up which reveals corruption amongst a lot of senior and junior policemen, which tars them all with the same brush.

And I agree with thylasos. I think a lot of problems are with the met, I've mainly had problems only with the Met, with the Greater Manchester police had little or no problem at UEF demos with them.

 

[Spitfire]

My experiences with police in my country have made me fear for my safety.
I live in Bucharest, Romania, and the police force here seems to be comprised of some of the most corrupt and bigoted idiots one can find in this city, and they're not just responsible with imposing the law either. For instance, if you want to obtain a driver's license, you have to pass a theoretical exam, which you take in an institution belonging to the police, and afterwards, you have to pass a practical exam with a police officer, who pretty much answers to nobody, and he can, and probably will, refuse to pass you if you so much as look at him funny. He will not do so, however, if you'll pay him roughly the same amount of money that you had intended to spend on the newest iPhone.

Here's another funny story.
A while ago, my father came across the lost passports of two Israeli tourists. Being a responsible citizen, he decided to hand them over to the police, and let them sort it out with the authorities of both countries. At the station, the police officer takes one look at the passports in question, and announces that they're written in Arabic, when they're clearly written in Hebrew. My father tries to correct him, at which point, the police officer loses his shit because his superior intellect has been insulted.. or something. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Sir, the letters look nothing like Arabic ones. Look." "Well I say they are! Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?" *facepalm*