The police are an essential emergency service in every country on earth, but how much do you know about the different police forces across the globe? Here are some fascinating police facts:
- During 2004 in the Republic of Georgia, 30,000 police officers were fired from their jobs which including almost the entire force of traffic cops. This was due to corruption. Glass police buildings were constructed as a sign of increased transparency and since 2004, crime has dropped considerably and confidence in the police has risen greatly.
- In Norway, it takes three years of university education to become a police officer with each graduate receiving a bachelor’s degree in Police Studies.
- An ingenious idea of the Japanese police is to fire paintballs at escaping cars so that other police can identify them quickly. The paintballs are bright orange and is extremely tough to remove. Bright orange is an obvious choice as it’s one of the most visible colours, along with yellow and red. That’s why you see it used on emergency and road working vehicles. For more information on Chapter 8 Chevrons, visit vehiclechevrons.com
- Calling the cops in Detroit is a lengthy process. The average wait time for the police to respond is 58 minutes with many police stations closed to the public for up to 16 hours a day.
- In the U.S, police detectives have been wearing formal suits for over a century. Apparently, it gives a psychological edge, constructing a barrier between the chaos of police work and the detective themselves.
- After seizing Robert Black, a notorious child serial killer in Scotland in 1963, the arresting officer found his own daughter tied up in the back of Black’s van.
- Whilst attempting to catch Russian serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo, the Soviet police force were able to deal with and close down over 1,000 unrelated crimes including murder.
- During police selection, people who score too highly on IQ tests can be rejected as it is claimed they would find police work too boring.
- In every police car in the Netherlands there is a teddy bear in case the officers must deal with upset children.
- Michigan police staged a fake marriage with undercover cops acting as brides and grooms in 1990. Local drug dealers were invited to attend the celebrations and then were busted all at once.
- The Italian police were given the fastest police car in the world in 2008 by Lamborghini. It was a Gallardo LP560-4 and was equipped with surveillance cameras, racks for weaponry, organ transplant coolers, GPS and even defibrillators. Unfortunately, it crashed in 2009.
- Estelline, Texas is the worst place in the U.S for speeding tickets. The population is only 168 but a police officer writes on average, 23 tickets per day!
- Don’t mess up in Thailand! Police officers who break the law or violate regulations are forced to wear Hello Kitty armbands in public.
