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Civil-police relations describes the relationship between civilians as a whole and the police force employed by the government. The police are law enforcements officers tasked with maintaining peace in the society. Among other civil servants, police have the most contact with civilians, thus closely affecting the lives of civilians. Civilians and police rely on each other to maintain a harmonious society. While it is in the best interest of both parties to cooperate with each other, the relationship between them is not always harmonious. Different civilians of different countries have different relationships with their police forces. The relationships are diverse and complex. There is no uniform linearity in the relationships.

History
During the Anglo-Saxon era, the King assumed the role of the commander-in-chief of the police. The main task of the police was to ensure that there was peace and orderliness in the society. The then ruling monarch of England maintained that it wanted its police force to be local and mutual. These qualities are still desired in the police force today.

The civilians were typically submissive the monarch and those associated with it, following the said rules and regulations obediently. The civilians did as they were told given that the position the police had in the society was authoritative. There was not any significant tension between civilians and the police, as there was no room for civilians to voice out against whatever rules and regulations were imposed.

More formal history of the police force dates as far back as 1800 in the UK and other European Countries. The role and responsibilities of the police force are consistently revisited and redefined. The purpose of keeping peace in the society remained. Three models of police force have been acknowledged as huge influences to the current model of policing: 1) The French’s model with dual military and civil function 2) The Irish’s dominantly state military model 3) The British’s state civilian model. The British’s model was an extension of the Irish’s model. All three models have evolved. The British’s model of police being intentionally different from the military has been adopted by many countries, including the U.S..

In the early twentieth century Scotland, the civilians and the police force had an individualised and interpersonal relationship. They relied on the trust they had on each other to maintain peace. By late twentieth century, the police force had established a more formal relationship with the civilians, stressing more on procedures and structure.

Contemporary relations
Civil-police relations differs from one country to another. Democratic countries with liberal views are more likely to have amicable relations with their police forces. Even within a country, different communities have different relationships with the police force. Within a community, many factors affect the relationship between these two stakeholders. Among others; cultural, social and economic.

While it is commonly understood that the police are to serve the civilians, there have been disputes regarding who they actually serve. In the U.S., there are concerns as the police are getting increasingly militarised, involved with counter-insurgency, and even privatised.

In present times, the police force has consistently garnered negative press, which has made the civil-police relations worse off. Among others, fatal police shootings, mishandling of public protests, and racial and ethnic discrimination have been contributing factors to the civilians' distrust in the police force.

The Press has more freedom, and the civilians have more rights in the modern times. They have more opinions on what they feel about the operation of the police force. In a democratic society, civilians are no longer willing to be submissive to whatever rules and regulations they are asked to follow. There is a demand for transparency and accountability from all, especially those who hold power.

The police force often retaliates the civilians' sentiment, arguing that their job is thankless and severely underappreciated. The direction that the police force takes is often controlled externally. It has no extraordinary power or insured from exemptions as any ordinary civilian.

Controversies
Police-involved deaths have been escalating in several countries.

There have been increasing concern with regard to the conduct of the police force, whether they treat civilians fairly and respectfully. With the rise of police-involved deaths and racial and political tension in the U.S., the civilians’ perspective of the police force is radically negative. Many high-profile violence led by police have traumatised the civilians and have made them more distrustful of the police force, hindering the maintenance of peace in a society. Some of the high-profile events that help define the contemporary relations between the two parties in the present times are Black Lives Matter and the Baltimore case. These controversies have reduced the image of the police to that of power and authority abusers, and they have garnered the reputation of failing the very civilians that it is employed to protect.

Hong Kong
After the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong, the civil-police relations have dramatically tarnished. The civil disobedience movement called for an electoral system in Hong Kong, free from China’s influence. The police’s use of teargas and brutality to handle the protestors have left the civilians to believe that the police is siding with the central government.

Israel
Israeli people’s public support for its own police force has been dropping. As Israeli police force are becoming more actively involved in counterterrorism, the Israeli civilians find it difficult to distinguish between its police force and the military.

Philippines
In the Philippines, under the command of the president, the police force has killed over 12000 Filipinos. The police force has been accused of falsifying crimes to cover its unlawful killings. The civilians are distrustful of the police force and intimidated to speak out against them.