Civilians, as well as those who are just starting to take their first steps in any position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, often face widespread confusion. We are talking about how to correctly express yourself in everyday speech - "serve" or "work" in the police? In order not to incur the wrath of experienced employees and not be branded as illiterate, it is worthwhile to understand this issue once and for all.
Our service is dangerous and difficult
As follows from the well-known phrase, it is more correct to say “service in the police”. The police are a collection of many units, the main function of which is to protect and maintain law and order within the state. The governing body of this system is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and all employees are civil servants. You can learn more about this from the Federal Law No. 342-FZ "On Service in the Internal Affairs Bodies in the Russian Federation …".
Some may think that the police are not military, who just "serve" and nothing else. It is hard to say “they work in the army” instead of the completely usual “serve in the army”. In reality, the police are a special type of public service, and it combines the features of both a military and a civilian structure, including the possibility of a standard 8-hour working day, an ordinary, not "barracks" way of life. But at the same time, the police obey the commands and orders of the leadership, and undergo special "soldier" training.
It should be added that many police officers do not need to wear uniforms every day, and their working day is very much like a typical office job. It is all this that often makes even the police themselves say in everyday life: “I work in the police”, “go to work tomorrow,” and so on.
Shall we work?
In view of the above, it becomes quite clear why the police "service" is turning more and more into a "job" every day. Police officers are ordinary people who visit banks, insurance companies and other organizations, meet friends and relatives. In such an everyday situation, the phrase “I serve in the police” sounds rather pathetic, often causes confusion among uninitiated people and makes them explain for a long time why it is correct to say that way.
In addition, each employee has his own daily routine, and the amount of daily "office" routine makes almost every police officer feel like a real workaholic. However, there are a lot of those in the Ministry of Internal Affairs who are practically daily engaged in drill and sports training, improve their shooting and hand-to-hand combat skills, track down and detain dangerous criminals. It is they who proudly declare that they serve Russia and the law, and nothing else.
What is the bottom line? In written speech, as well as when communicating with real employees, the lexically correct phrase "police service" should be used. In the colloquial, if you wish, you can use the verb "work", but remember that not every police officer or specialist in Russian vocabulary will react positively to this.
