(police) A constituted body of officers representing the civil authority of government, empowered to maintain public order and safety, enforce the law, and prevent, detect, and investigate crime.
1943, Charles Reith, British Police and the Democratic Ideal, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48625/page/n11/mode/2up pp. 3–4]:
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(usually, _, plural only) The staff of such a department or agency, particularly its officers; (regional, chiefly, US, Caribbean, Jamaica, Scotland, countable) an individual police officer.
: There are nine Principles of Police:...7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only memb…
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(figuratively, usually, ironic, _, &, _, mildly, _, pejorative) People who try to enforce norms or standards as if granted authority similar to the police.
1990 Sept. 13, David Black & al., "Prescription for Death", Law & Order, 00:00:01:
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