What is the role of police in our society?
That he saves a child from the fire

Do we need the police?
yes

Why / why not?
it will be safer

Describe the ideal police force.
uniform zij is aardig

All Cops Are…
aardig

What is the role of police in our society?
Defending class opposition for the bourgeoisie. In the service of a liberal government, this is used selectively. Against climate activists and not agribusinesses.

Do we need the police?
If 'we' means the 99%, than no.

Why / why not?
Because the police stop us in the equality and solidarity that most people want.

Describe the ideal police force.
Neighbourhood coaches

All Cops Are…
Bastards

What is the role of police in our society?
Keeper of public order. Protector of constitutional freedoms. Provide assistance to those in need. 

Do we need the police?
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – George Orwell. In other words, yes, very much so.

Why / why not?
In the Netherlands, we have agreed on laws and rules. With enforcement we punish undesirable behavior. Without the police (and other people in uniform), the law of the jungle applies and the country can turn into chaos.

Describe the ideal police force.
Approachable. Small-scale organized. Connected to the whole community. Friendly when we can, strict when we have to ;-)

All Cops Are…
Brilliant

What is the role of police in our society?
For the citizen, the policeman is the personification of justice. The symbol of Dutch justice is Lady Justice, a Roman goddess. She is depicted with a blindfold on, a sword in one hand and scales in the other. The blindfold represents justice based on facts, separate from the person. That there is much injustice in making and enforcing the rules we take as a given. Then we return to the order of the day. Lady Justice is indeed blind; blind to the low-literate people she incarcerates, blind to the people with mental disorders she incarcerates, blind to the racism embedded in her systems, blind to the discriminatory effect of the justice system, and blind to the deep poverty that lurks behind sentencing. The police are the face of justice, and injustice....without being solely responsible for it, we are together.

Do we need the police?
Yes, just with a different appearance and fulfillment of the task. Police officers, in my view, are guardians of civilization. They ensure that the way we treat each other meets certain standards that most people think are decent. However, the police now function above all as a referee on the soccer field. And the police often only jump in when there is a violation. The police react as an extension of the legal system, from policies and rules. I would rather see the police as a guardian of the sense of justice from citizens who have ended up in a specific situation (such as the Allowances affair), that they get the context sharp for the citizen in it and then try to find harmony again with each other. And they cannot do that alone.

Why / why not?
The function of the police in society is closely related to how we view right and wrong. In the Netherlands, we have a fair legal system because we have rules that are fair. However, this takes little account of inequalities and injustices in society, produced by social institutions or policy decisions. Police officers are the people who are often close to the people in the neighborhoods. The best neighborhood cop knows what is going on in people's lives; the worst follows the rules without thinking for himself. The police see up close where responsibility lies in an event (crime, transgressive behavior. The police officer recognizes certain patterns in the city; that suspects consistently come from neighborhoods with the lowest incomes, that a family has to deal with far too many social workers, that a person cannot find shelter. The prison system often refers to "dynamic security" as a way of dealing with people. It reduces prison staff to puppets who may use punishment as a stick above all else. In the police I prefer to speak of dynamic treatment, where a police officer can assess how to act per situation, with the goal of restoring a situation as much as possible at that moment, rather than having to follow rules. And there are plenty who already do that, day in and day out. In this sense, I see police officers as parents of all citizens who make sure that we find our place in this society and that this society accepts us, not with punishment as a stick, but harmonious coexistence as a goal. To do this, however, the police must be a reflection of the DNA of this society.

Describe the ideal police force.
The policeman should not be employed to establish an individual morality of guilt, but should be an intermediary who balances the network of political, social and cultural relations on a personal level. Dostoevksi wrote that "the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons. That could also have read; 'the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by speaking to a policeman'. The Biblical Eve did not just eat from a tree, she ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Is it up to man to (judge) who does bad things or who does good things, which people are virtuous and who are not. And that is precisely what our entire criminal justice system is set up to do, sentence one another to punishment. A crime is reduced to that one act of that one person. We include the circumstances, social network or socioeconomic situation only as a backdrop in sentencing the person. A still life through which that one person can be judged on a graduated scale from good to bad. In the most ideal situation, the police officer provides the human interpretation, needed, from laws to individual situations. In the most ideal situation, the police officer forms a bridge between the individual and society, including social injustice in the scale.

All Cops Are…
Dancers on a rope stretched between animal and Übermensch

What is the role of police in our society?
The role of the police in a society is to safeguard the rules set by society. People within a society are very diverse. If all is well, rules have been devised that ensure the value of all the diverse people and to ensure this there is an organization like the police.

Do we need the police?
Yes. There are, of course, diverse societies. And in a dictatorship, the role of the police is a different one. Within a dictatorship, the police maintain the dictatorship. The police abuse their power and oppress society.

Why / why not?
A society is made up of diverse people. And the police also consists of diverse people. Then it can also happen that within the police there are also people who abuse their position. This should not happen and must be countered.

Describe the ideal police force.
An ideal police is there to support a democratic society.

All Cops Are…
completely different

What is the role of police in our society?
Maintaining classes and protecting possession in an unevenly divided society.

Do we need the police?
In capitalism, probably yes. In a just world, the police will hopefully be redundant.

Why / why not?
Many tasks of the police could be better handled by social services.

Describe the ideal police force.
If the police were indeed your "friend and helper", it would be fine.

All Cops Are…
Dividers

What is the role of police in our society?
Helping people ensure a safe living environment.

Do we need the police?
Absolutely!

Why / why not?
Because, as an independent body, the police can help solve problems.

Describe the ideal police force.
Empathic, helpful and fair

All Cops Are…
People Helpers

What is the role of police in our society?
Ratify what has been decided by the judiciary or administrative authority. Restrain conduct that is unlawful. Protect those who are oppressed.

Do we need the police?
Nee. Er zijn genoeg samenlevingen in de wereld en in de geschiedenis die zonder een politie prima voor veiligheid konden zorgen. Misschien zijn zelfvoorzienende gemeenschappen zelfs wel beter in het voorkomen van crimineel gedrag of recidive. Door armoede en huisvestingsproblematiek aan te pakken of door de arbeidsmarkt anders in te richten.

Why / why not?
We leven in een land waar de waarden van de democratische rechtsstaat kleur geven aan de gemeenschappelijke cultuur. Dat zijn geen stoffige in steen gebeitelde regels maar hele wezenlijke voorwaarden om een gezonde samenleving te onderhouden: Vrijheid! Gelijkwaardigheid! Solidariteit! Waarden die artikel 1 van de grondwet ondersteunen. Waarden die het verdienen om iedere dag opnieuw voor te strijden. De politie kan daar een mooie bijdrage aan leveren.

Describe the ideal police force.
Zoals de samenleving zelf: met verschillende identiteiten en talenten. En met het volledige besef dat je legitimiteit iedere dag opnieuw in vertrouwen aan je gegeven wordt door die samenleving.

All Cops Are…
Human

What is the role of police in our society?
According to the law, "The task of the police, in subordination to the competent authority and in accordance with the applicable rules of law, is to ensure the effective maintenance of the rule of law and to provide assistance to those who need it." On paper everything sounds nice, unfortunately we do not live in a paper reality. The role of the police as I have experienced it in my life. The first time I talked to a police officer, I think I was about 10 years old. It was 6 a.m. and there were 2 officers standing at the foot of my bed. One cop ordered me to stay in my bed. My 4-year-old brother who was in the bed next to me had to get dressed and go with them. I listened and watched as they took my brother away. Who, by the way, was back home the same day. In my teenage years, I and my friends were regularly sent away by cops when we were somewhere in the neighborhood. I was cuffed when I rang the doorbell of a friend's house because there was a burglar walking around with my description, this was in a neighborhood where dozens of boys lived who had the same description as me. In my neighborhood I saw the police taking children out of homes for youth care, together with a bailiff ringing people's doors to clear their homes. An arrest team throwing a suspect's mother into the car half-naked and handcuffed, and many other things like that. I lived in a neighborhood where a lot of needy people lived. I myself and never saw a cop helping anyone in the neighborhood. If I saw a cop I immediately looked around and looked for an escape route. I had nothing to hide but you never know. Police to me is synonymous with danger. I also don't know better than to feel unsafe when I see a cop. I also always thought it was like that with everyone. Until I got friends as an adult who didn't grow up in the same neighborhoods as me and didn't recognize this at all. Only then did I know what the role of the police is in society. They are there for a certain group in our society and yes ... I am not one of them.

Do we need the police?
Definitely!

Why / why not?
We need the police as described in the law and not the police we have now.

Describe the ideal police force.
De ideale politie is er voor de burger. Deze politie heeft de juiste prioriteiten; Het voorkomen van een misdrijf is beter dan achteraf de dader op te pakken. Deze politie: Is onderdeel van en representatief aan de samenleving waar zij voor werken. Is zich bewust van de geweldsmonopolie die wij als samenleving hen toe vertrouwen en neemt deze verantwoordelijkheid ook dusdanig serieus dat het gebruiken van geweld alleen van toepassing is als het echt noodzakelijk is. Voor deze politie is iedereen gelijk ongeacht huidskleur, sociaal economische status of gender. Elke burger voelt zich veilig als deze politie er is. Heeft respect voor de privacy van de burger en luistert niet zonder concrete aanleiding gesprekken af. Bij deze politie verdwijnt er geen geld en drugs na een huiszoeking bij een crimineel. Behandeld familie van criminelen met respect omdat zij geen crimineel zijn. Durft elkaar te corrigeren als een collega zich misdraagt. Wordt gewaardeerd door de burger en gerespecteerd omdat zij het goede voorbeeld geven in moraliteit. Zet geen 6 motoren en 3 auto’s in om een kind van 16 op een scooter te achtervolgen omdat hij geen helm draag. Deze politie hoeft niet achter dit soort jongens aan omdat zij hem (de burger) al kennen en rijden rustig naar zijn huis toe. Zet de capaciteit in om een extra blokje rond een huis van een vrouw te doen die bedreigd wordt door een ex. Weet dat veilig zijn en veilig voelen twee verschillende dingen zijn. Heeft een vakbond die niet om meer wapens vraagt maar om meer zorg voor GGZ patiënten omdat zij die steeds vaker tegen komen. Lekt geen strafdossiers aan misdaadverslaggevers. Heeft geen appgroepen waar racistische uitspraken worden gedaan over slachtoffers. Heeft agenten waar jonge meiden en jongens naar op kijken en later ook willen worden. Deze politie is een fantasie, de ideale politie kan alleen bestaan bij een ideale bestuur en ideale politiek en dat kan alleen in een ideale samenleving maar in een ideale samenleving is de politie overbodig.

All Cops Are…
Human

What is the role of police in our society?
Enforcing the law, ensuring safety (including online), providing support in the event of accidents and emergencies, intervening in conflicts and quarrels that have got out of hand where people can no longer manage to solve/de-escalate it themselves, detecting and apprehending criminals, dealing with reports. 

Do we need the police?
Yes

Why / why not?
We desperately need the police so that there is no lawlessness and criminals have free rein to go about their business with impunity. By including the police, in principle, everyone should be well protected in a society. When citizens find themselves in situations where their rights are being violated and they can no longer resolve the situation themselves, it is extremely important that the police are there to help. 

Describe the ideal police force.
The ideal police use the rules and laws to serve the people in society and not the people to serve the rules and laws. By this I mean that the police as independent thinking people act in the spirit of the law and not rigidly enforce the law. This way you maintain authority and support among the people. The ideal police is there for everyone regardless of status, origin or ethnicity. The ideal police have enough time to carry out their work on the streets and can handle all reports. The ideal police is approachable and helps to prevent crime and does not only act repressively. 

All Cops Are…
All cops are: People like everyone else, only with the courage to back up in situations that most people would take a wide bow around.  

What is the role of police in our society?
Providing assistance, ensuring a safe environment, tackling crime.

Do we need the police?
Definitely!

Why / why not?
Providing help is necessary in certain situations, the same as creating a safe environment and tackling crime. Because police exist, there is 'order' on the streets. Fines may be omitted, but understandable that they exist for certain situations to ensure safety. The amount is not, but this is not the responsibility of the police of course!

Describe the ideal police force.
Recognising situations and taking immediate action on them to help as many people as possible. In certain situations, mutual respect, valuing people and always wanting to help everyone should the need arise. Dir not only from a cop's point of view, but this also applies to a citizen.

All Cops Are…
Just people who want to help to create an ideal society!

What is the role of police in our society?
Ensuring safety and order in the Netherlands. Personal control.

Do we need the police?
Definitely!

Why / why not?
Without enforcement and police presence, anyone will just be able to do whatever, in this case focusing on the wrong things, they feel like doing without any guidance or correction.

Describe the ideal police force.
Listening to people without directly judging them. Not immediately seeing the bad in people. Being close to people, knowing exactly what is going on and intervening when there are threats. Role model for the new generation, so that the job of police officer remains an attractive profession for the future.

All Cops Are…
Like Lotte Asma, she is one inspiration for many and is close to her target audience, creates a bond of trust. She is also a big hit on tiktok and because of this, the youth knows how to find her. Very clever how she handles this!

What is the role of police in our society?
Enforcing, connecting, providing assistance and protecting and guarding public order.

Do we need the police?
Ik denk niet dat we als samenleving zonder zouden kunnen. Dus: ja.

Why / why not?
Als de politie er niet zou zijn, zou Nederland een grote pleuriszooi zijn.

Describe the ideal police force.
Connective, transparent, respectful, accessible to all races, sexual orientations and religions, a reflection of society, acting against crime and empathetic when needed. An ideal empathic servant has a tear in one eye and a professional view in the other.

All Cops Are…
Needed

What is the role of police in our society?
The police are part of the executive power within the Trias Politica. The laws made by the government and reviewed by the courts are also given implementation by the police. This gives the police an enforcement role as far as the exercise of power is concerned. Where the relationship with people and citizens is concerned, the police fulfil a protective and limiting role. It is a mother and father at the societal level.

Do we need the police?
Yes

Why / why not?
The police are needed in the current democratic rule of law, given its foundation on the Trias Politica. As for its relationship with people, the question is how much protection people need. The answer to this question is different in every era and location. In today's world, including the Netherlands, exploitation in all kinds of areas takes place on a large scale and people's autonomy is constantly under attack. As a result, there is a relatively high need for protection and also police protection. A problem and challenge here is the reliability of the police in performing the task. Where exploitation and threats to autonomy are concerned, the government in the broad sense and the police in the narrow sense often contribute to this themselves. This involves, for example, corruption, taking sides because of an interest, or discrimination against certain groups of people. In doing so, government and police undermine themselves: as far as I am concerned, these are unintelligent attitudes and behaviour, which create in me the need for government for government and police for police.

Describe the ideal police force.
Viewed from the relationship with humans, and the idea of mother and father at the societal level, both soft and hard. Soft in the sense of loving and connecting, hard in the sense of limiting and protective. The moment the police tend strongly towards the former, they are seen as a collection of wimps and undermine the authority needed to limit and protect. The moment the police tend strongly towards the second, they are seen as dictatorial and authoritarian, undermining the function of bringing unity and harmony among people.

All Cops Are…
Parents

What is the role of police in our society?
yo take part

Do we need the police?
yes and no

Why / why not?
as a link to make a connection, sometimes that connection is already there

Describe the ideal police force.
always available and always willing

All Cops Are…
present

What is the role of police in our society?
Referees

Do we need the police?
Yes

Why / why not?
We need the police because people can not be honest by nature.

Describe the ideal police force.
This is a police who also dare to admit that he/she can make mistakes.

All Cops Are…
As simple and complicated as the rest of us.

What is the role of police in our society?
The task of the police, in subordination to the competent authority and in accordance with the applicable rules of law, is to ensure the effective maintenance of the rule of law and to provide assistance to those in need.

Do we need the police?
We definitely need the police.

Why / why not?
There are people in society who go through life as their own judge or do not want to abide by Dutch laws and regulations. It is a utopia to think that the police are not needed.

Describe the ideal police force.
The ideal police is a reflection of society. A reflection not only in appearance, but also in culture. I believe that the police should carry knowledge of the cultures present in the neighborhood.

All Cops Are…
There For You (It’s In Our DNA)

What is the role of police in our society?
Helping us when we need help

Do we need the police?
yes and no

Why / why not?
most officers genuinely want to help you.the other half treated me rudely. (unfairly addressed that I was dealing drugs)

Describe the ideal police force.
the ideal police treat me nicely. if I have a request for help. and redirect me to another information point for example

All Cops Are…
Unique

What is the role of police in our society?
Ensuring safety for everyone in this society

Do we need the police?
Definitely

Why / why not?
The police have a role model function and can resolve conflicts where other agencies cannot

Describe the ideal police force.
Multicultural, representing every layer of society tackling problems in a holistic way

All Cops Are…
Like us