Do we use "the" before "police"?

Use the police when referring to the institution/organization:

§  The store has been robbed. Call the police!

§  My son wants to join the police when he grows up.

Police (without “the”) can be used to refer to an unspecified number of individual officers:

§  Police searched the area for evidence.

§  He was killed in a shootout with police.

…but it’s also OK to use “the” in these situations:

§  The police searched the area for evidence.

§  He was killed in a shootout with the police.

When referring to the institution/organization, always use the police.

When referring to a group of officers, you can use police or the police – both are OK

Never say “a police” to talk about an individual. Instead, say:

§  a policeman

§  a policewoman

§  a police officer