//they are indifferent to trivial complaints.//

Can I come over and punch you in the back of the head, and we will see whether or not you consider it a 'trivial complaint'?

//Give the police some slack//

Why? They are public servants who are manifestly failing to carry out the job we (the public) employ them to do. They are either incompetent or just plain lazy. In most industries that would get you the sack. But when it comes to policing we get a bunch of apologists telling us the police are beyond reproach and trying to shift the blame for their failures onto the judiciary or criminals.

//nicer family guys you would never meet.//

They might be the nicest guys in the world, but they aren't doing their jobs. Maybe they should think about taking up interior decorating instead.

"Here's a nice Victorian solution to a modern problem: re-employ veterans of the Afghan war to protect and serve the peace."

That seems an idea worth giving a go... Those Taliban types were pretty efficient at hitting transgressors in the streets with big sticks.

Plus, all the supporters of corporal punishment will be happy, but won't they have issues with the - you know - Muslimy fanatical thing?

Seems TONI LAVIS the police weren't doing their job when you sought their assistance ? A case of; 'plain lazy or incompetent' perhaps ? The SMH journo who wrote his piece on the police, of course he'd know wouldn't he ? Like most members of the media, they know squat ? What they don't know, they simply 'expand' upon the narrative, to suit an editors good copy ?

As you've quoted a piece from the SMH I assume the assault occurred in NSW ? Interestingly I spent over 32 years in the job, and I've needed to approach police at a station, and some young prick behind the counter, was also full of arrogance and bad manners, gave me short shift when I made a simple enquiry ? I never let on I'd been in the job ?

You see TONI, some of these boofheads believe the majesty of their uniform, their Glock 17's, their cuffs, mag holders, etc. etc. will intimidate everybody from daring to even look at them, but hey, they'll soon learn when they've been sat on their arse a few times, by some angry man ? Try and get over it dear girl, most coppers do a good job, but they MUST work within a very tight government framework ? Why your copper chose to do nothing, I really couldn't say ?

Someone also eluded to excessive paperwork ? Why do you think coppers all end up with very short fingers ? Hours of typing and producing squillions of reams of useless documentation, for Court, statistics, DPP, public defender, etc. etc. ?

Finally TONI, I'm profoundly sorry that you were assaulted at all. Nobody should suffer being accosted or/and assaulted anywhere in this country. Even sorrier, your expectations from the police were NOT met !

Many people would empathise with Toni's frustration and sense of powerlessness. The assault could easily have resulted in severe injury or death.

Not receiving any acknowledgement, interest or action from the police on the desk would be the absolute pits.

What is especially galling for the public is that even where police do react quickly, the harm is already done and the victim could be bleeding out or if s/he survives could have lost his/her mobility and mental faculties.

Ordinary law-abiding citizens are denied means to protect themselves and where they do defend themselves or their loved ones, they could be up in court themselves, with a prosecutor requiring them to defend their own actions. Criminals have rights you must remember and all they risk is a return to their girlfriend in prison, or if they are young, a slap on the wrist for monstering some old guy. It was probably the old guy's fault or at least society's 'bad', the hand wringers would say.

What use are police?
Well when some bloke dies out on his property, miles from town, and with no road access it's the unfortunate local copper who has to do the job of bringing the body in, if the coroner thinks that he, personally, doesn't need to view the scene.
There may or may not be a chopper available, or someone in authority decides that it would be character building, and cheaper, for the Constable to bring the body to town (or the nearest road) by pack horse.
Of course the body would be sealed in a body bag so the horses are likely to be tractable, but there is the unpleasant job of getting the decomposing body into the bag.

A policeman's lot is not always a happy one.

Dear Is Mise,

Who ever claimed that the lot of those who serve the devil should be a happy one?

We all die one day - if someone dies out there on their out-of-town property and the family is not concerned about the corpse, then neither should the state interfere with it: I wouldn't want them interfering with mine - nature will take care of the body in due course!