@uisce
It literally translates to "who guards the guardians?" and is a question about who enforces the law on the people who enforce the law... Who polices the police, who polices the government/courts, etc.

@freemo ok, yeah, I get it. In Ireland the police force are call 'An Garda Siochana' which means guardians of the peace, which if one has been unfortunated to encounter some of the more nasty ones when engaged in activities they deem reprehensable, wheter they be peaceful or not, can seem somewhat comic and ironic in a dark kinda way...
I have heard some pretty convincing theories that police forces became more and more neccessary as society became more and more unequal...
though that said, I can't say I would be too keen on disbanning the police forces that exist on the spot without first building the strong sense of community needed to address violence and agression in a more restoritive way...

@uisce police go back to the beginings of civilization. Disbanding the police is not and never has been a solution. Solutions come from ensure that there is an equally strong force that keeps the police in check with as strong if not stronger consequences for when they step out of bounds.

@freemo ah but then who keeps them in check? seems like that could just go on and on...
there is a saying which I consider to be wise
'one can tell how foul a society is, by the amount of laws it needs to govern it'
I am pretty sure there are and may still be cultures that function well and in many ways better then the current dominant culture that do not have nor require police force... no?

@freemo @uisce That already exists, it doesn't work.

@stevejail

No, it doesnt. Obviously there is a department dedicated to policing the police, but it does not actual act as an equally strong or stronger force, nor are the laws stricter or as strict when it comes to consequences.

So effectively, it doesnt exist, not in the form I described. Given the right criteria I suspect it would work quite well, but sadly something that resembles a good solution (based on my opinion of good) has never even been tried.

I outlines 9 points in the past as to what it would take for such a system to work. In the USA none of my 9 points exist and I know of no country where it does. But we are getting into the weeds now.

@uisce