Ask HN: Police in your country

[daveth3cat]

I'm interested to know the general opinion of the Police force in various countries.

I am from the UK and more so than ever I feel suspicious/guilty when I see a police officer, as opposed to safe/protected.

Post your country and your opinion in the comments.

[fillskills]

When you see police/cops in India or Pakistan, the first thoughts to cross the mind are a) What excuse are they going to make to rob you b) How can you bribe/pressure them in letting you go.

[nautical]

Not to forget , they really are not the type of people you can go and talk freely . You can go and talk to an army officer and tell them the problems , somehow you feel connected to them but to a police officer its not the same .

[BjoernKW]

I've never felt uneasy around British police officers. The Metropolitan Police were particularly helpful to me on two occasions. I'm just a somewhat frequent visitor, though. However, the British police have a rather good reputation they mostly live up to in my opinion.

Police in Germany are good as well in that respect. Mostly polite and to the point. Never needlessly aggressive.

I do feel uneasy about the police as a system though and what it's about to become. Home security (or whatever euphemistic term that's called nowadays), politicians and police representatives arguing for ever more surveillance and authoritarian measures. That's what's undermining police work in almost every Western country no matter how good and trustworthy the police in those countries actually might be.

[Mimu]

I'm from France (and white, sadly it matters) so I never encounter police once in my life (literally), and I'm actually "scared" of them, I don't trust them.

If a police officer stops me, I would actually be very defensive, a police officer or a gangster stop me I would have the same kind of state of mind, nothing good can come out of it, the best outcome is nothing happens.

I was also in Cameroon for a month (still white) and boy every time I saw the police I knew I would be arrested and asked for money. Being white I knew I would be arrested every time they saw me but make no mistake, they arrests and steal everyone including their fellow citizens. Good stuff.

[imauld]

> (still white)

Well good to see as much as things change somethings stay the same.

[daveth3cat]

Really interesting to see everyone's opinions - thank you all for taking the time to contribute.

The Independent has just published a story detailing the most trusted professions in the UK - the police rank 6th to last. http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/these-are-the-12-most-...

I'd like to pad out my opening comment on my experience with the police - Luckily I live in a society where corruption within the force is a lot less noticeable than some others listed, however one can easily identify when certain groups are intentionally targeted as a way to increase the statistics for policing in my country.

My experience as a young white male, living in a large city is that most police officers whom I have contact with come with an undeserved air of superiority about them. This has always led me to the assumption that this is potentially a character trait not caused by the police but one that's unusually high amongst the police - perhaps shedding some light on the kind of person that grows up wanting to police/control his neighbor.

The fairy tale job of being a policeman you're told as a kid has long since disintegrated amongst my circles, a police officer is no longer a hero figure with the same stature as a Paramedic/Firefighter but somebody to be avoided/approached with caution.

[Gustomaximus]

Australia - I feel the same for no real reason. I wonder if the US press we see on the bad cops permeates local thinking. Here I've generally had fair experiences with cops in my handful of encounters though they tend to be on the arrogant side. Twice I've had bad experiences though this is fairly first world problems E.g. Once 2 young cops stopped me leaving a car park one night as I took my time driving out. They said I must have been drinking, which I hadn't. I suggested they breathalyze me to which they said they didn't have a machine. They then properly tailgated me for the drive from the station car park to my home.

Side point but I've noticed the fire brigade attend local fetes and periodically setting up outside shopping centers with their truck to let people look about the trucks/gear and chat (mainly parents/kids). You never see this with cops. Maybe just my area. I feel it would be valuable for cops to introduce themselves to the community like this on a regular basis. Both for citizens to say hi in non-negative situations. Also so the police engage more with 'good society' while on duty and perhaps lose some of that arrogance and expecting the worst behavior.

Ive also lived in London and Norway and felt relaxed around cops there. They typically dont carry guns on them which I liked. In Norway they have firearms but leave them in the trunk of the car. I feel this is a really good compromise.

[tvm]

I feel threatened when I see police guys nearby.

I was fined in my early twenties, because I just turned around my car where it was possible - it didn't happened on the street and police officer told me that I have violated the law. I have argued for long minutes only to give up and pay the fine.

When I checked the laws regarding this, there was no reason to fine me, but it was too late. The paragraph on my ticket was also completely bogus and the fine was already paid.

Not so many years back I was traversing the pedestrian crossing on completely calm Sunday (no car in sight). Of course there was red on the semaphore, but that would only mean spending senseless minute(s) to cross two and half meters. Officers were nearby, just waiting to fine me. What works here - you can always tell them that there's nothing to talk about, hand them your ID card and tell them that you'll be glad to visit their office once they're down with all the paperwork. Since the paperwork that needs to be done is quite obnoxious, whole thing is usually silently discarded (win).

To conclude - I don't expect anything from police. Most normal people around are reasonable and they will do whatever is needed to stop or alleviate the things that endanger someone.

Being fined because bandage from your compulsory first aid kit in the car expired week ago is just completely senseless. Why would a thinking human trust and feel safe around people who enforce such thing(s)?

This is Czech Republic, heart of Europe.

[lcr]

Mexico - We have three several different levels of police, like many other countries. Federal, state, municipal, transit and ministerial among others (there are certainly more but this are the ones that you encounter for the most part.). The general view varies wildly between each different level.

Federal police: They are generally considered to be highly educated individuals so they have a certain amount of respect among civilians, most people feel comfortable around them and will trust them in case of an emergency.

State police: They are kind of iffy, particularly in my state you generally don't get to see ordinary state officers patrolling the city, but the state police has a famed SWAT team that is staked out at the state border 24/7 and will sometimes be seen patrolling around the city at night. Even though it has been a couple of years, they still have this terrible reputation that where ever they go something (not nice) is probably going to go down. A few years back they were always early whenever large shootout broke out, so now people are wary of them.

Municipal police: They are generally viewed as lazy uneducated people, and have a certain fame of being rude, corrupt (although, they aren't particularly corrupt), and unhelpful which is certainly warranted. Most people don't feel comfortable calling them.

Transit police: They are known for preying on the most vulnerable in an attempt to make some quick bucks, some are quite cheeky, most are rather subtle.

Ministerial police: They have a reputation of rampant corruption, and depending on where you lie on the socio-economic ladder, you are either not scared at all of them or you are absolutely terrified about having to deal with them.

YMMV.

[Raurin]

American. I used to get really nervous around police (my dad doesn't trust them, and that rubbed off on me), and I still get nervous when I'm driving with a cop behind me.

I used to be scared of police, but as I got to know a few cops and ex-cops and as I researched more statistics about police in America, I've grown to sympathize with them.

I think my attitude towards them is most similar to my attitude towards my immediate superiors at work: they could make my life hell if they wanted to, but they're generally good people.

I worry about non-LEOs that carry guns. Cops don't worry or bother me anymore. They're unpopular right now (thank you, sensationalist media), but they're generally doing a good job. I feel safe.

[kleer001]

In Canada. Ethnic looking, but it doesn't matter. Feel a little lighter than the feeling of cops in London. They're there to help, but don't waste their time or distract them. I feel safe enough to call if I were in trouble or safe enough to go to a station for official business.

Reminds me of that old saw, Heaven is where: The French are the chefs The Italians are the lovers The British are the police The Germans are the mechanics And the Swiss make everything run on time.

[veddox]

I'm in Germany, and I'm pretty OK with our police. Most officers I've met were friendly, it just happens to be their job to have to do unpopular things at times.

[DKnoll]

As a Canadian visiting Berlin, I was blown away by the way police carried themselves. At one point I was walking up to Nollendorfplatz station and I see a woman, looking heavily intoxicated and enraged, chasing around a police officer and hitting him with her purse as a handful more looked on. Where I come from (and having only traveled to the US before, where I'd been) this only ends one way... but shockingly the officers were standing around and laughing. The target of the woman's aggression was running in a circle comically as if Yakety Sax was playing in the background.

[threeseven]

I'm a white male from Texas, which probably weighs into my experiences a great deal. It mostly feels like police officers want to be your friend and end the encounter with you as soon a possible unless you've done something wrong (like speeding or other small offenses) in which case they seem to act more like an angry and bothered parent. Overall it seems like they don't want to have to deal with people unless they feel like they have to.

[patmcc]

Canada - I've had only good interactions with the police, although we do have some issues (RCMP has/had some sexual harassment issues, there was a man killed by tasers a couple years back that was covered up/lied about, etc.). I wouldn't hesitate to call the police if I was in danger, and generally wouldn't worry about being treated poorly.

I am white though; I suspect if I was Native I might have different opinions on the police.

[alexhawdon]

Another data point from the UK:

I feel relaxed and safe when I encounter the police. Were I stopped an officer I would do my best to assist them, and to be courteous. I would be surprised if the courtesy were not returned. My interactions with the police have all been positive.

FWIW I'm white British and I live in a pretty 'typical' area, crime-wise. I accept there's a good chance I would feel differently were I a young black male living in London.

[imauld]

American, majority of life in NYC (the worlds largest police force)

I can't stand being around them. They are arrogant, aggressive and petty. They frequently take liberties with the law to suit themselves. The NYPD has recently taken to posting dehumanizing pictures of the homeless on Twitter to shame the mayor.

"We know you didn't do it but we are arresting you anyway" - Police officer to me

[andrewmcwatters]

American, safe/protected. I feel like the police are villified in American media, promoting paranoia over nothing. That, and to incite racial tension.

[anon3_]

Hi, interesting post.

First I wanted to say USA may be different from others in the fact that silence can't be hold against you. If police detain you, the advice I hear from lawyers is to zip it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGgKLgVNfAo is a great presentation featuring a former detective and a defense attorney)

In other countries, like UK - not giving an alibi in situ can be used against you.

In USA - I trust the integrity of the legal system, but the police are trained to use deception - ranging from gigantic pretexts, like posing as your telephone repair man, to simple bluffs and lies. (Funny spoof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfF8OSlGhKk)

This creates a chilling effect of distrust which discourages informants. No one worth his salt can take a cop at his or her word. And I think the cumulative result that has on communities is drowned in relation to what we see with cop violence in the public eye.

Not having a line between community and police means cases can go unsolved and serious crime can go unpunished.

[cooperm00]

One time at band camp a policeman confiscated my flute. And I never got it back.