[lazide]

Typically law enforcement was DIY, done by a mob, or done at the behest/in the interest of a local strongman (king or lord).

That led to extremely selective enforcement at the best of times.

The idea of a professional, independent force that served the public and preferred formal laws was the innovation.

Previously you’d need to either deal with it yourself, or track down a local patron and hope they cared enough to assign some muscle to deal with it on your behalf - and didn’t favor the perp more. Think ‘Godfather’. In those cases, written law was rarely a priority either.