When I was in England I never felt fear or anxiety around police. They came across far more friendly, less authoritarian, more likely to just issue a warning on unruly behavior and call on the person's dignity rather than squashing it. I remember seeing these Senegalese guys horsing around, one late night, I sorta knew who they were, and soon a couple beer bottles are smashed on the street. Bobby comes along and basically says, cmon mate, you want some little kids cutting their feet on those shards? They issued drunken apologies, and managed to pick up most of the shards and put them in a bin. And that was it. End of story. Peacekeeping can happen. And without treating people like garbage
Nice account. This is most police work in the US
That same bobby will be called upon to suit up in riot gear on occasion.