I think the problem is that the police have evolved - they've evolved into the coppers that those who make laws (giovernment, last time I checked) insisted on passing - the police don't write the laws, they enforce them... so don't balme the cops if they are now far less effective than they used to be. You could even argue that it's all our own fualt for voting in the folk who made the changes.
Maybe you misunderstand me. I'm not blaming the police for being ineffective or unfit for purpose; I fully support the good old bobby on the beat and sympathise with them for having to behave in a far too PC world with far too many lazy, disrespectful scrotes.
However, I do criticise their reluctance to modernise and accept that change is needed. We had it with the fire fighters a few years ago and we're going through it with the NHS now as well.
I see today that doctors have also agreed on industrial action. Wake up, for f**ks sake. This Government (albeit a coalition) was elected on a manifest of austerity. Now the austerity is coming, the public sector are all saying that they accept it, as long as it doesn't affect us.