Those numbers are state level police numbers. Aggregate numbers for actual officers on a beat are quite different for large countries. Most of Western Europe

Those numbers are state level police numbers. Aggregate numbers for actual officers on a beat are quite different for large countries. Most of Western Europe (according to the studies I’ve read) have significantly higher numbers of police in the community. To answer your larger question: Humans don’t respond well to small probability high negative outcomes. One common theory in criminality is that we want to optimize people’s sense that they’ll be caught, and then give smaller, more certain punishments. Basically, ideally we’d have many more police, many fewer prisons.