Is it a career option viewed highly by young people? Do people respect police officers or are they distrusted and seen as corrupt?
If you have kids and they wanted to be cops, would you support them?
Are police officers well-paid, compensated, and have pensions? Or it depends on the division like Guardia Civil for Spain?
3 comments
I think it is one of those careers that most people don’t have much of an opinion towards, outside of major newsstories. When cases of police brutality or neglect happens, the police is criticised, and when the police does something worth of praise, it is praised. I doubt most people have a deeper relation to the cops other than, that they’re there. My guess would be, it’s about as respected as a baker, or perhaps as respected as a carpenter.
There are ofc. debates, particularly in the wake of cases of police brutality, misconduct, or neglect, about the role of the police, and ofc. there is also the structual criticism of the police as an institution, as there should be. But again, it’s not like most people care about people wanting to be a cop.
Generally, I would say, that the police have good working conditions and pay compared to a lot of other jobs for the state, but then again, the Danish state treats most of its horribly, especially frontline workers like nurses and caretakers—cops are _not_ frontline workers—so “good” is maybe not very meaningful.
Personally, though I don’t count on having kids, I would advise them not to become cops, as I have a principled opposition to the police.
Police are generally trusted, don’t have great pay, but definitely have decent pensions like all government employers.
A girl in my class wanted to be a police officer when she was younger and everybody viewed it as a really interesting career choice. If I had to give a stereotype of people who become police officers though it would be guys of around 20 who enjoy exercise and physical work. But plenty of women too. They’re generally viewed as just people doing their job, nothing excessively bad, nothing excessively good. A lot of things go right with the police and a lot of things go wrong.
I’d be fine with it if any hypothetical kids of mine wanted to become police officers. I’m keeping the police in the back of my mind myself as a place for future employment once I’ve graduated. Back office though, maybe something with data or mapping, I wouldn’t be any good at the physical aspect. Seems like it would be interesting and useful work.
Well in France you have 3 police forces : Gendarmerie ( military police doing police missions in rural areas and towns ), Police Nationale and the plurality of Polices Municipales.
Gendarmerie : Very good salary. After 8 months in military school you start at 1400 nets for 6 months then you are at 1800 euros nets and you have no rent to pay since you are in barracks. People like and respect the gendarmerie usually so it’s something you can be proud to talk about.
Police nationale : you start at 1700 then after some months you are at 1900 nets iirc but you have no dedicated housing so it’s hundred of euros less on your paycheck. Depending of your job within the police it can antagonize people, it doesn’t generate the same respect as Gendarme.
Police municipale : I don’t know much about it, iirc salary is okay but as they are powerless they are not seen as a serious police force