that's a good one. i think that's right though- 'police officer' would of course be a regular singular noun, while 'the police' could represent any mass or rep

that's a good one. i think that's right though- 'police officer' would of course be a regular singular noun, while 'the police' could represent any mass or representation of law enforcement. but even though it's usually used as plural, when the representation is a bit more abstract it sometimes feels right to use a singular again? "the police are looking into it": boots are on the ground, people are currently active. "the police is looking into it": we've informed the police of the problem, it's in the system, people should be on the case soon. but this almost sounds a bit dismissive? like "the police" maybe isn't going to bother at all, and if you want it solved maybe go to someone who cares... that's tricky.. and still maybe sounds a bit off, so if you want to be safe i don't think you can go wrong with plural.