When I went to Vietnam one my tour guides told me Vietnamese police still hide in trees to catch speeders unaware (mostly bikes, I suppose) and radio to nearby cops who then pull them over.

No idea if he was just fucking with us, but I want it to be true. Would love some American Vietnam vet to go visit after all this time to come to peace and has a severe mental breakdown and dies after getting triggered seeing some Vietnamese cop in a tree.

i've heard secondhand from a friend of a friend (at a party) that they are way more helpful and more public servants then anything we've had in the U.S. since ever.

it's been a while but think this was Vietnam. they did mention corruption and bribes being more common but this was probably like 15 years ago

In Vietnam, cops are usually unarmed. You might see a wooden baton. I’ve seen videos of them slapping pulled motorists around growing up, but never knew the context. Most Vietnamese people will probably never encounter a real gun outside of the military or actively sensitive areas, or if they visit the US and get shot. There are reports from some Catholics of the police raiding churches in the middle of service to shake down the priests, or seizing them to give to Buddhists lol; never looked into them. They will tacitly ask you for bribes/money at the airport if they know you’re a foreign Vietnamese visiting the country. Cops can look a little sloppy sometimes because you’ll see some with untucked shirts next to cops with tucked shirts; they look like they’re also on vacation lol

In China, most cops are also unarmed. I believe there are armed police at the airports, and you’ll probably see more guns with the Hong Kong police. I have seen what appears to be ceremonial guards at important government/cultural sites and they seem to be unarmed, but I imagine an entire unit with full gear is waiting nearby in case of incidents. I’ve read that Chinese cops will buy tickets for homeless people on trains to or escort them to the nearest homeless shelter, but these were anecdotes that I never looked into further. I haven’t seen cops armed with machine guns in public areas unless it’s the aftermath of a terrorist attack unlike the UK where there are fully kitted cops walking along the rails or on the sidewalk outside the palace. Photos of the Chinese presidential palace are scarce, but it seems that visible guards are lowkey, making it look like any ordinary public area. The NYT reported a while back that a lot of cops became nervous after departments started to arm them because they never had to use that level of force, and reports of excessive force increased after guns were issued.

In East Germany, I remember reading documents from the Stasi (I think?) discussing ways to address LGBT concerns with regards to national security. They listed all the different options, including subversion and suppression, but concluded the best way to protect the state is through genuine acceptance and educating the public about LGBT issues. Not sure if you’d count the Stasi as your typical cop, though.

They are much less armed and commit less violence. Mostly just traffic stuff, public servitude and existing. I don't know what investigations and cops called for response look like.