It's interesting to contrast the approach taken in different countries. I spent the majority of my life in New Zealand but the last 9 years in the UK so I've wi

It's interesting to contrast the approach taken in different countries. I spent the majority of my life in New Zealand but the last 9 years in the UK so I've witnessed it first hand. Within the first couple of months of arriving here (London) I had attended several large gatherings, for example festivals in and out of London, and there was a marked difference in the police handling. I was genuinely surprised when I realised that the police controlling the events were interested in the safety and enjoyment of the public. They weren't looking to stir up trouble, they weren't searching for the "bad eggs" to antagonise - they were just trying to do their best to control the situation by working with those involved. In my time in NZ I saw the police carry out all sorts of actions that were completely unnecessary. I saw someone arrested for overloading a car with people leaving a party - prior to that I watched the police insist that the driver allow the car to be overloaded in the first place. I was once tripped from behind by the police (on the pavement) for walking alongside a protest on my way home from University. Might not seem like big issues but I've seen countless similar examples where the police were actually responsible for instigating the problem. There's very much an Us vs Them attitude in NZ that, thankfully, isn't the norm in the UK (for the moment).