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I feel very sorry for the OP. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you're not a customer of the organization that protects you. Police officers will not be
by snitko 13y ago
I feel very sorry for the OP. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you're not a customer of the organization that protects you. Police officers will not be paid less if they mistreat the people they're supposed to protect. To get them to justice, as was mentioned in another comment, would cost tons of money and time and there's no guarantee of any kind of result. They know it.
The only places where police is actually humane and does mostly good are Scandinavian countries. My explanation of that phenomenon is that those countries are small (both in territory and number of citizens) and are, indeed, operate like small companies. Thus it's relatively easy to keep them accountable. Of course, many other small countries have very corrupt police, so this can only account for a part of the explanation.
My opinion is that where there is no market mechanism to effectively communicate customer satisfaction, you will see abuse. People see it again and again, yet they keep paying taxes to sponsor this shit, because they are being told there will be anarchy or the poor wouldn't have the money to hire a private police protection. I wonder if the poor would actually be better off without police "protection" at all. After all, they are mostly after people who conduct victimless crimes and are never there when a woman is getting raped or someone's being mugged. That's not protection, that's extortion.
- csense 13y ago> Scandinavian countries. My explanation of that phenomenon is that those countries are small (both in territory and number of citizens) Add to that: - Socialist governments that redistribute wealth so there isn't as much of a socioeconomic class gap (specifically mentioned by the cops in this article as an explanation for their harassment) - Racially and culturally homogenous (especially compared to USA) I'm not saying these traits' effects are solely positive, or that those countries are inherently better for these reasons, or that these are directions the USA ought to go. I'm merely pointing out that it seems many of the US's problems are due to class/racial tensions that don't exist in other countries with different histories.
- fuckpig 13y ago> My opinion is that where there is no market mechanism to effectively communicate customer satisfaction, you will see abuse. That's a great criticism of government in general.
- fulafel 13y ago> only places where police is actually humane and does mostly good are Scandinavian countries Research does not seem to bear this out. See eg this Gallup study: http://www.gallup.com/poll/102346/many-world-citizens-trust-neighbors-more-than-police.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/102346/many-world-citizens-trust-... Of the top 10 "public trusts the police", only 1 or 2 are Scandinavian countries (definitions vary whether Finland is part of Scandinavia).
- BugBrother 13y agoAfaik, Swedish police don't take bribes and generally don't commit criminal acts. At least not if compared with most other countries. The main problem with Sweden is that the police is trusted to drink coffee instead of working. :-) (That was a simplification, the Swedish police seems to mainly have organisational issues. The Finnish police is one of the most trusted societal functions there. I have never understood why a Swedish government won't head hunt top level Finnish police and fire the locals... Just the threat ought to be enough.)
- zurn 13y agoThe point is that people have relatively good relationship with police in many countries -- as nice as Sweden is, it doesn't appear in the top 10. The very good standard of Scandinavia is common.