I'm no lawyer, but I guess would be that: A) Prosecutors and judges are generally NOT elected or politically engaged. Nor are they politically appointed, with

I'm no lawyer, but I guess would be that: A) Prosecutors and judges are generally NOT elected or politically engaged. Nor are they politically appointed, with exception of some higher court judges. B) Police in many countries are required to conduct an independent study. The must present all evidence; and so contrary to the US what you say can be used to your advantage (that still doesn't always make talking advantageous). C) In civil law systems judges are often far more empowered to seek the truth. Where as in the US (common law), judges mainly facilitate an argument between defense and prosecutor in-front of a jury. D) prosecutors in other countries are often tasked with finding the truth, they are not elected, and the whole system is less adversarial than the US. E) Politics is less dysfunctional, and most European countries have civil law, which makes it easier to comply with the law. There isn't 10k statutes on the books. F) Police is better behaved; well trained; typically governed at country level (not by local politics). G) Many countries have a functional public defense system. All of this differs from country to country. Some countries might not have functional public defense (G), but on average it's my understanding that western European countries do better in these ways. That doesn't necessarily make talking to the police a good idea. But there are a lot of fewer traps people can fall into. And so I personally would feel more comfortable helping a European police officer. After all the downside of not talking to the police is that crimes won't be solved.