Edit: I think people are completely misunderstanding this post. I made a general statement about humans. Not about policing, not about a country. Just an observation that certain types of people only seem to understand/respect violence.
Not every statement needs to be "unpacked"
Respect isn't given to people who look movie-tough-guy-cool, it's given to people who know what they're doing.
When one of the earlier police commissioners was asked why the police don't carry guns, he replied that it would put too much distance between them and the public. The police in the U.S.A. seem to actively be going for that distance.
It's not just one person's opinion, either. The British police is (supposed to, it's stretching further from it under the endless cuts) adhere to Peelian principles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles
> The Metropolitan Police officers were often referred to as 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel
So _that's_ why! :D