From: Brian M. Scott
Message: 62176
Date: 2008-12-19
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr GasiorowskiIt's not exclusively journalistic usage. A few minutes with
> <gpiotr@...> wrote:
>> On 2008-12-19 18:00, Andrew Jarrette wrote:
>>> Yes, <these/those police> is probably acceptable,
>>> although I seldom hear anything other than <the police>.
>>> More likely one would say <these/those policemen> (or
>>> <police officers>, especially if women are included).
>>> But I disagree: I don't think one can say "ten police"
>>> or "I counted seven police", at least I wouldn't say
>>> those. One would more likely say "ten police officers"
>>> or "I counted seven policemen". So I think <police>
>>> behaves more like <cattle> (takes a plural verb) except
>>> it's usually prefixed by <the> and whereas one might say
>>> <some cattle> one wouldn't say <some police>.
>> Constructions like <two police arrived at the scene> or
>> <twelve soldiers and four police were injured> can be
>> found quite often especially (though not exclusively) in
>> British and Australian/NZ English; at least one can
>> google up a fair number of examples. They may be
>> journalese for <police officers>. Here's a typical
>> example:
>> "Two police arrived to arrest Mrs Cairncross at the
>> senior school assembly and took her away in a police car
>> with blue lights flashing."
>> http://www.oldws.org.uk/In_Touch_Spring_2007.pdf
>> The accompanying photo shows two police officers of
>> different sex.
> I think it's journalese short forms. I know I wouldn't say "two
> police arrested me" or "he was arrested by two police". I would
> always add <-men> or <officers>.