Law Enforcement: Intervention Points

[kindnesstheorist]

Stable nations are capable of great kindness and destabilizing them is almost never more kind than leaving them alone.

The enforcement of national law is an integral aspect of the stability of a nation, both because people who are not protected from crime are more likely to revolt and because people who are not prevented from enacting regime change are more likely to do so. Sometimes, it is kind to allow people to break a law; intervention would cause more harm than it would prevent. Other times, a victim can defend themself, or a bystander can step in. Occasionally, a law-breaker will submit to intervention voluntarily, enforcing in retrospect the law they broke. However, there are cases where the government itself should proactively attempt to stop law-breakers.

The first is, if a person requests that the government intervene in a suspected crime in progress against them. The government acts to prevent this person from organizing their own police patrol; therefore the government owes this person reasonable access to the government's police patrol.

The second is, if a crime has already been committed. The government acts to prevent vigilantism; therefore the government must take responsibility for following up on criminal events.

The third is, if a crime is being committed at a scale such that individuals cannot control the situation. Effectively opposing an organization requires an organization, and for efficiency and stability the intervening organization should be governmental.

The fourth is, if a guardian is suspected of committing a crime against their ward. Guardians are responsible for either taking care of their wards or transferring that duty to someone who can and will discharge it; accordingly, a guardian who is provably abusing their ward should have the transfer done for them. (The central example of a guardian-ward relationship is parents to their minor children.)

In these cases, a government tasking its agents with going out into the world and enforcing national law can be a kindness, and the agents’ obedience a parallel kindness. These cases still aren't always improved by intervention, and there are other cases that can be improved by intervention. But these, I believe, are some of the safer bets, to a government trying to be kind and unsure as to which crimes to react to.