police work
- noun
- /pəˈliːs wɜrk/
- But critics say the drawbacks of applying such technology to police work may outweigh the benefits.
- nature of police work
Everything has changed the whole way police work was done changed.
- Everything has changed the whole way police work was done changed.
- Well, in police work, the newest guys get the worst assignments.
- So doing the undercover police work, I mean, I can't even comprehend how well, it's just insane to be all those different people at once.
- Like I think I don't think they do very good police work, you know what I mean?
- You know, some police work, you know, you've, you know, you've got to be pretty tough.
Examples
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The detective's police work led to the arrest of the suspected criminal.
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Generally, the respondents did not perceive policing as "dirty work," but they viewed police work as a service to the public.
Academic text (2000) -
You can put it behind you, get back to police work.
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Besides, police work gives him a sense of order.
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With all due respect, leave the police work to us.
Fiction book (1995) -
I do believe that police work in Washington State is the best job around.
Blog text (32) -
I encourage anyone who wants to work in public service to consider police work in King County.
Blog text (32) -
For me, police work is all about following procedure and remaining accountable to the general public.
Fiction book (1993) -
Well, in police work, the newest guys get the worst assignments.
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That's pretty good police work there, Mr. Johnson.
Synonyms
The work police do to stop crime, find criminals, and make people obey the law
How Demanding
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the activities involved in investigating crimes and enforcing the law' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'police' (law-enforcement organization/officers) with 'work' (job, duties). This simple compositional noun–noun construction denotes the job/tasks of the police and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.
Etymology
Police work comes from the simple picture of police doing work — officers walking the streets, talking to people, and gathering clues. That's why it means 'the tasks of investigating crimes and enforcing the law'.