I smile..

Davids post-tangle with the law has drawn an ace.

Before Davids tangle with the wicked witch from the green slimie swamp, I'm am sure, would not have turned up this "thinking" on our beautiful trustworthy constabulary.

There are many current day problems with modern policing.
One of the greatest problems is its divorce from the reality of anybody not connected to the status quo.
And as David has learned, it only takes a policeman to rip you from a that lofty perch.

Let's you and I David, watch for the predictable sycophantic responses that follow herein, from those still attached by fantasy to the lofty peaches above.

Dan

David, YOUR justice system works very well for those who create and operate it.
It is a fool who actually believes the justice system is there as a deterrent for the criminals and a comfort for the masses.
The opposite has been the case from it's inception.
The criminals are allowed to prosper and cause mayhem, where-as the rest of us, the non criminals, are being systematically preyed upon on an hourly basis.
The law enforcement resources have become a very real part of the revenue raising objective for the govt and been gradually increased in size and numbers to further increase that objective.
One only has to see how many men are on the 'booze bus' check point, including vehicles.
The fact is that the govt know that Aussies are an arrogant lot and 'won't be told' what to drink or where to drink or how much to drink, so they are easy targets and ripe for the picking.
The role of govt and police has changed dramatically over time, they were originally created to help and direct the people and their future by guidance and leadership, through mature and pragmatic decisions, or laws.
They include fines and the like in the budget forecasts!
The police however have been slowly turned to become clandestine tax collectors.
There are more police and resources deployed to a booze bus than a murder.
It is little wonder that respect for both the govt and the law enforcement have plummeted to levels that have never been seen before and becoming worse every year.
There is no EASY answer, just drastic ones, which will not be entertained because it will involve loss of status and revenue, and they don't want that, because they are the two main drivers for them being in the job in the first place.
The govt, for all the side benefits and kick-backs, and the police for the shear exhilaration of power, over the plebs.
On that note I just want to say, what kind of mind thinks that having power over the plebs is something to be proud of.

Take note: "one of the few legitimate roles of government". Few Australians are aware of just how few these roles really are. It's ignorance and complacency that has allowed governments to poke their totalitarian noses into so many aspects of our lives. Not a libertarian myself, I'm glad that there are some around to keep reminding us what a lazy bunch we are, totally deserving of what we get from politicians taking advantage of our meekness and laziness. It's highly unlikely that we will change, though.

The reference to black uniforms is interesting. The idea was to make police look more authoritative (menacing) in SS Black. However, senior police - no smarter than other public servants - buggered up by allowing officers to wear scruffy beards, baseball caps instead of the regulation cap and worse, allowing them to get around hard-headed.

Then, of course, we have the 4' 11' females running around knocked-kneed and useless.

I believe that scruffiness, the pint-size of male officers and the recruitment of little girls has lost police forces a lot of respect. Using coppers as health police hasn't helped, either.

The police have far too much power in this country I believe, I was astonished to read of the strip searching carried out on minors by NSW police in their hunt for illegal drugs. I couldnt think of any other 1st world country where this could happen with impunity.

The Police are there to enfore the will of the haves against those of the have not's. It's an asymmetric relatioship and no amount of tweaking can ever make it "work".

It's very design is to support thuggery, I am sure when the police come home to their families they feel vindacted like any other thug, I am sure the guards at Austwiutz felt much the same when they can home to their families.

I can't see how any Libertarian can support a police force, it's repellent idea. Our incarceration rate is increasing as we continue to put people who dare step outside the orthodoxy into jail, everything we do is making it worse and the continued militarisation of the police will occur, more prioson will be built, more scared citizens made fearful of thier fellow citizens. There is no end here until it collapses under the weight of it's own dysfunction. The question to that is, when ?

David, as an ex-politician, you of all people should understand the police just enforce the laws that folk just like you create or endlessly amend if you can!

As for thuggish Bobbies? Names, rank and serial numbers and verifiable evidence, please!

Failing that? Try putting a sock in it! It'd make pleasant change!
Alan B.