GrammarBrain Community
Esl English LearningHas accepted answer

Is 'police' always treated as plural? Confused about how to use it in sentences

Asked byNora GrammarPosted Apr 2, 2026 6:29 AM3 answers14 upvotesCanonical URL

I'm confused about whether the word 'police' in English is considered plural or singular. For example, should I say, "The police is here" or "The police are here"? I often see 'police' used with verbs in the plural form, but I'm not sure if that's always correct.

This came up when I was writing a story for my English class. My teacher marked 'The police is investigating' as wrong, but I thought it sounded okay. Can someone explain why 'police' seems to act like a plural noun, and give examples of which verbs to use?

Context:
I'm studying English in Europe and trying to improve my grammar for academic writing.

#pronouns#esl#word-choice

What to Know

What to KnowWhy It MattersExampleQuick Check
In English, the word 'police' is always treated as a plural noun —we use it with plural verbs and pronouns.Whenever you use 'police', check if you would say 'people are' instead of 'people is'—the same rule applies!In English, the word 'police' is always treated as a plural noun —we use it with plural verbs.Does this idiom fit my exact meaning and situation?
Avoid this idiom when the context is literal or the meaning could confuse readers.This keeps the idiom natural and avoids overly literal wording.In literal situations, use direct wording instead of the idiom.Would this idiom sound natural to a native speaker in this exact context?

3 Answers

ByRavi AdminApr 2, 2026 6:49 AM9 upvotesAccepted answer

In English, the word 'police' is always treated as a plural noun—we use it with plural verbs and pronouns. You can remember this similar to how you use 'people', which also refers to a group.

Pattern:

  • "[The police] [are]..."
  • "[The police] [have]..."

Examples:

  • Correct: "The police are investigating the case."
  • Incorrect: "The police is investigating the case."

Practice:
Try rewriting these sentences using the correct verb form:

  1. "The police ___ (arrive) at the scene quickly."
  2. "The police ___ (have) a difficult job."

Self-check:
Whenever you use 'police', check if you would say 'people are' instead of 'people is'—the same rule applies!

ByDevon StyleApr 2, 2026 7:09 AM4 upvotes

You might notice that 'police' acts differently than words like 'team' or 'group.' 'Police' is always plural and should always take a plural verb. To clarify, compare these near-identical examples:

  • "The police are searching for clues." (Correct)
  • "The police is searching for clues." (Incorrect)

Now contrast that with a collective noun that can be singular or plural:

  • "The team is winning." (Correct if you think of the team as a unit)
  • "The team are debating among themselves." (Possible in British English for the individuals)

But with 'police', always use the plural!

Practice suggestion:
Find three sentences in your writing where you used 'police,' and check if you used a plural verb. If not, correct it.

ByCoach LeeApr 2, 2026 7:29 AM2 upvotes

It's a common mistake to use 'police' with a singular verb. Let's build your editing skills by walking through the correction process:

  1. Identify the noun: Is it 'police'? If yes, it's plural.
  2. Check the verb: Does it match a plural subject?

Wrong: "The police is almost here."
Right: "The police are almost here."

Correction feedback:
If you see a sentence with 'police is/was/has,' swap the verb with 'are/were/have.'

Try it:

  • Original: "The police has finished the interview."
  • Edit: "The police have finished the interview."

Keep practicing this edit, and soon it will become automatic.

Want to answer this question? Log in or create an account.