They stand on the dividing line between order and chaos.
Their mission is to protect lives and property. To enforce the law. A difficult and dangerous job. But their role extends far beyond that. They are the face of authority. A mirror reflecting the complex relationship between the state and the citizen. And so their image oscillates between appreciation and controversy. Here you will find different insights into this vital institution.
“There is a huge body of evidence to support the notion that me and the police were put on this earth to do extremely different things and never to mingle professionally with each other, except at official functions, when we all wear ties and drink heavily and whoop it up like the natural, good-humored wild boys that we know in our hearts that we are..These occasions are rare, but they happen - despite the forked tongue of fate that has put us forever on different paths.”
“The police have enough work to keep them busy regulating automobile traffic, preventing robberies and crimes of violence and helping lost children and little old ladies find their way home. As long as the police confine themselves to such activities they are respected friends of the public. But as soon as they begin inquiring into people's private morals, they become nothing more than armed clergymen.”
