It always seems strange to me that every time I see a Police car or police officer, be it walking on the street or driving on the roads, that I feel pangs of fear.

                                                     Source: Caradvice.com

For a force that is all about protection, justice and serving the people to keep them safe… They seem to induce and united feeling of feeling of fear, agitation and in some cases hatred.

These negative feelings are glorified in our pop culture with songs like ‘fuck tha police’ by NWA and ‘claimin im a criminal’ by Brand Nubian. These songs tell about police brutality and unfairness. Moreover,  ‘Pigs’ as name for the police is part of an everyday vernacular for many people.

A far cry from the much loved sheriff types that John Wayne would play in Westerns or the gentle and fair Sheriff Tate of To Kill a Mocking Bird and certainly a far cry from the likes of Miss Marple and Monsieur Poirot.

                                                     Source: bensbarn.wordpress.com

Pete Seeger’s song “What Did You Learn in School Today?” sings,

“I learned that policemen are my friends.
I learned that justice never ends.
I learned that murderers die for their crimes
Even if we make a mistake sometimes.”

which seems to capture the strange nature of the relationship the public hold with the police force.

On the one hand we are taught to admire them and believe in their virtues and duty to protect and on the other hand we know they sometimes make mistakes, punish the wrong people and hurt members of the public as much as protect them.