Quality vs quantity

[kana_marie]

I posted in "general discussions" about an article I read recently. It says less people are wanting to join the force so the force is lowering its standards for new recruits. As a police officer, going out and risking your life day in and day out, I can only assume the person or people who have your back are extremely important. How do you feel about them lowering standards? Would you rather have fewer officers watching your back, knowing for a fact you can count on them? Or would you prefer to have more people watching your back, not knowing how many or which ones you can count on at all?

 

[missbishi]

Sometimes just a police presence is enough to keep people in line. We don't know anything about the attitude of these cops, we just know that they are there. This is enough to make us cautious. I agree that their attitudes towards the public may vary though and it could also be a risky move to give guns to people who might not be of the right mind to be able to use them sensibly. Mind you, this happens anyway!

 

[JoanMcWench]

I would love to say quality is of more value BUT think of it this way: As a criminal what's really more intimidating an officer who is really great at his job or a legion of okay officers coming to get you? I think it's an interesting question but sometimes the amount outweighs what it amounts to.

 

[Rainman]

For a police department to effectively do their work, they need to have the right number of police officers in their employ. Why? Criminals aren't that stupid. If they know that there aren't enough cops in a town to keep them in check then anarchy would reign. It's better I think [for that reason] to lower the standards and hire more police officers.

 

[Gabe]

There shouldn't be a choice. There is a standard and they can't just allow people to join to make up the numbers. Both matter, but because of cuts, in the UK forces from other boroughs in London help one another out as they do in counties when there is a protest or an event like a football match that needs an extra police presence.

 

[FuZyOn]

I couldn't really choose! Having experienced officers is a very important thing but the authorities needs a lot of them.
In a place with only a few cops the people living there feel unprotected and I don't think anyone wants that in their city!