Yes, we could. but police ,like politicians and military are paid with public money and are held to a higher standard with more responsibility than a grocery store clerk. I think that is fairly clear cut. As such, less excuse for police to fuck around compared to say a grocer. Nevermind a customer. witness giving a statement on scene, or even giving CPR to someone because they are dead and emergency services take time to arrive, is not really the same thing as someone walking into the freezer to do inventory. Night and day difference.
The issue is police are there to record data. witnesses and people involved should not be afraid of providing data for fear of the above mentioned. Of course they have every right to not try and help or to protect themselves. The police, and justice system as a whole, should be more professional not to make such mistakes. be them intentional or by accident.
So to your example, it is more like the workers not telling the grocery manager about problems because they might get in trouble. However it is the managers responsibility to fix problems (manage the job), not punish innocent people for speaking up about a leak that needs fixing. Well oiled companies know this and run as such. But if you were to say such companies are rare and like a unicorn, I wouldnt necessarily disagree. However because they are private I would say they are just unprofessional. Police and public services that are not well oiled are sad, because society is in many ways entitled to such a service, unlike a private company. And because they are public services, paid for by us, we have every right to demand better. Reading many of your posts on talking to MP, voting etc…i know you dont disagree. Seems like you only disagree that I think the police ought to do better? And they ought to earn public respect and trust, never expect it.