The Strong Arm of the Law? Police Corruption in Ptolemaic Egypt

Given the broad powers granted its officers, the Ptolemaic law enforcement system ought to have been plagued by official abuses. Yet there are few indications that police misbehavior was a serious problem. Villagers complained about police misbehavior, but many complaints are suspect, highlighting "abuses" that look like proper procedure, and the fact that such complaints were often sent to police officials suggests that people trusted them. Insubordination in the ranks seems to have been uncommon; reprimands to subordinates from police administrators are few; and government circulars and decrees concerning corruption are often too vague to provide firm conclusions about the extent or even the types of police wrongdoing.