A question of respect (let the flaming begin...)

[stevierst]

I'm generalising when I say that, I do intend it to be in the minority but I challenge anyone to refute that some people join the police force (in no small part)  for the feeling of power.

I don't mean to destroy your preconception Simon, but these people are normally weeded out during initial police selection, they're not difficult to spot.

The older cops who have done a bit of service and maybe come across as confrontive have developed this through countless years of putting up with the geenral public who think that they know better than the law practitioner stood infront of them. After a 10 hour shift when the traffic cop has stopped his 18th motorist of the day who 'knows the highway code' and 'I know my rights', and 'you can't do that' then you can probably begin to understand that he's heard it all before and his patience is wearing a little thin.

You've got to accept that a cop has been sworn into a position of government office, and yes they do command the respect of the general public. They are the first link in a long chain of the law system, and there to protect the public and uphold the law at street level. If you want to complain about cops and our nanny state, then take a good look at some of the Police forces outside the UK and how they behave. You DEFINATELY wouldn't start giving shit to a Croatian/Norwegian/Swedish cop 'cos they'd beat the living shite out of you then throw you in a cell.

Our cops don't seem so bad after all do they!!!