oxford dictionaries

po¦lice

Noun [TREATED AS PLURAL] (usually the police)

The civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order:

local people have lost faith in the police

 

[AS MODIFIER]: the coroner will await the outcome of police inquiries

 

[SYNONYMS]

police force, police officers, policemen, policewomen, officers of the law, the forces of law and order, law-enforcement officers, law-enforcement agency

 

As a verb:

maintain law and order in, keep the peace in, keep guard over, keep watch on, watch over, guard, protect, defend, patrol, make the rounds of, control, keep in order, keep under control, regulate, enforce, implement, oversee, check (up on), supervise, monitor, observe, watch