AOG - //And wouldn't we all, but you are venturing as usual into your utopian world, they may be two evils, but given the choice (and we have no other option at the moment) I know which one I would opt for.
When facing a common enemy or an unsatisfactory situation, one cannot always choose one's fellow combatants. //
I freely admit that my world view is utopian, but the only way to make my (I believe - better world view) become a reality, is to strive towards it, rather than taking the approach that this evil is with us, so we might as well use it to our advantage.
My concern is that, if allowed to proliferate, this avowed intention to 'look after' the populace would very soon morph into taking extreme control, and we would have the 'dog weeing / execution' scenario I always quote in this type of debate.
I am not so unrealistic as to see that what you say is true - there is a rise in 'public policing' but that does not mean I will ever accept that is a necessary evil - with the accent on the 'evil'.