When I say "modern police force", I mean a group of specialized individuals who work with the public enforcing day-to-day law and performing investigations within their municipality with the authority to detain individuals involved in crime.
For example, I've heard that the ancient Romans had something akin to a police force but not quite.
hi! there have been lots of questions about law enforcement; check these out for previous responses:
overview:
roughly chronological:
Law enforcement in ancient Egypt, "were there cops in Egypt?" - ancient Egypt
Did ancient greek cities have any kind of police force? - ancient Greece
How did the Roman empire deal with police and fire services, if they did exist at all? - ancient Rome
What was law enforcement like in Ancient Rome? - ancient Rome
Were Lictors the Roman Police? - ancient Rome
Could the Varangian guard work like a police force? - the Varangian Guard
What was law enforcement like in cities of the middle ages? Was there any distinction between law enforcement and soldiery? - medieval Europe; Louis XIV France
Crime and law enforcement in Middle Ages - medieval Europe
Before the modern era where did people go to report crimes? Who were their 'police' basically? - Tang-dynasty China, ancient Greece, medieval Iceland, 17th c Japan, Visigoths, Germany
What did "law enforcement" look like in the great Mesoamerican cultures at their height? - postclassical Meso-America
Ancien Regime France and Great Britain had vastly different systems of controlling their populations, particularly in the capital cities. Which one was more effective? How did Louis XVI police Paris? - 17th/18th c France, London
When was the first police force created? - 19th c London