As an expat brit i still think britain has the best police force in the world. The crap they put up with defies comprehension from both the legal system and the general public. Here in the US cops are nasty. They tend to be very matcho and are nearly always rude. Carrying a gun also means that they get instant respect. I remember the first time I was stopped I nearly dumped my load when the cop approached the car with a hand on his firearm, my hands were glued to the top of the steering wheel. They have a very intimidating presence about them. They also really hate people that speed. But you never hear of a cop getting stabbed to death. You would be full of lead way before that happened.
The problem in the UK is way too much time is spent on catching speeders and filling out paperwork and not enough dealing with "quality of life" crimes. The cool part about the US is while the murder rate is higher you rarely have to worry about get yourself, your car or your house robbed. Most of the murders in the US occur in the drug infested neighborhoods of the big cities. Where I live hasn't had a murder in years.

[Edited by Limeydriver - 2/23/2003 8:55:11 PM]