History Main / PoLiceState

* ''Film/CryFreedom'': It's set in South Africa during UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra, therefore this naturally is the case. The very first scene shows white police violently breaking a temporary settlement by black people up. South African police are the main representatives of the regime throughout the movie, constantly harassing, detaining or even killing dissidents. TruthInTelevision for the time.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After the fall of beacon, General Ironwood turns the kingdom of Atlas into one, isolating the kingdom while recalling almost all of his forces back, squeezing the city of mantle dry of resources and ordering the arrest of anyone not loyal to him. [[spoiler:By the end of Volume 7 when [[BigBad Salem]] reveals that she is on her way to the Kingdom, Ironwood declares martial law and plans to abandon Mantle to die while only saving the city of Atlas. When the heroes go against him and due to a falling out between them and the military, Ironwood orders his forces to arrest them with him eventually becoming the main villain of Volume 8 after Salem herself is taken out.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After the fall of beacon General Ironwood turns the kingdom of Atlas into one, isolating the kingdom and calling all his forces and squeezing the city of mantle dry of resources and ordering the arrest of anyone not loyal to him.

* ''Manga/DeathNote'': The '''whole world''' practically functions as [[KnightTemplar Light]] [[AGodAmI Yagami's]] own personal Police State for 6 years after [[spoiler: L's death.]]; With Kira's law being the only law and people worshipping and obeying him as a god.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' the Draconis Combine can be best described as this, as citizens have no rights, only duties. The Capellan Confederation likewise becomes this when [[RoyallyScrewedUp one of the more insane Liao chancellors]] takes the Celestial Throne. The Lyran Commonwealth was briefly this under Alessandro Steiner, predecessor to Katrina Steiner (the actual Katrina Steiner, not her granddaughter Katherine). His idea of loyalty to the realm involved judicious use of LOKI operatives to suppress dissent. Unfortunately, the Lyran Commonwealth is notoriously full of {{General Failure}}s, so this doesn't work nearly as well or as effectively as he'd have liked, and eventually led to Alessandro getting deposed by the infinitely more reasonable Katrina.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' Metru Nui is run as this, as it is patrolled by armies of Vahki who are ruthless in hunting down law breaking matoran.

* In ''Film/SuperMarioBros'', under Koopa's rule, the police can arrest people for singing anti-Koopa songs while ignoring Daisy's kidnapping. When an APB for plumbers is issued, they're quick to arrest the Mario Brothers as well.

Variants: CulturePolice, SecretPolice, StateSec. Subtrope of TheDictatorship and {{Dystopia}}.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' the Regime world, not unlike the Justice Lords world below.

* ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'' has warring police states as one of the only forms of civilization left in the future. People living in panopticons are under constant surveillance, and any infraction, no matter how slight (including the crime of being born and representing a new drain on limited resources) is punishable by prison sentences that can easily [[LongerThanLifeSentence exceed a million years]].

* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' ExpandedUniverse of Creator/AAPessimal has lots of police states. Ankh-Morpork has Lord Vetinari in charge and who arguably doesn't ''need'' a secret police: it has Sam Vimes, the (reformed) Cable Street Particulars, Dark Clerks and the Guild of Assassins, who along with the other Guilds tend to each have part of the picture as to what's going on at any given moment. But Vetinari is the man assembling the jigsaw puzzle. However, Quirm has the ''Deuxieme Bureau''; Rimwards Howondaland has its own Bureau of State Security[[note]]Based on the real-life South African BOSS, seen through the lens of Creator/TomSharpe's interpretation and a Pratchett-styled UpToEleven approach[[/note]]. Far Überwald may turn out to have a Kommittee of General Benevolence overseeing its citizens and Cenotia is rumoured to have a shadowy organisation called ''Shin Pa'd'', or perhaps ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Mossad}} The Institute]]'', with an interest in defending its own quiet backwater of the Circle Sea.

** ''[[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]]'' has police state as a social engineering option and practically downright states that a few factions use them (The Hive is more or less forbidden from using anything else). You can even turn this UpToEleven by going for complete Thought Control once you research the technology "The Will to Power" (the [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]] reference is intentional, and also intentionally [[TheThemeParkVersion twisted]]--Chairman Yang ''understands'' what Nietzsche was saying, he just wants to take it in a wholly different direction).

* In ''TabletopGame/TheSplinter'' Earth is a police state controlled by a single corporation. Make sure to watch tv every night and report suspicious activities to the police robot that's most assuredly watching you right now. It's for your own safety.
* In ''[[http://misspentyouthgame.com/ Misspent Youth]]'' by Robert Bohl, a game where you play a group of teenage anarchists out to change the world, the group creates Systems of Control that are sci-fi-ish details about the world that The Authority uses to mess with your lives. These frequently include a police state, especially if the Authority's Visage is State.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', The Imperium of Man is one of these. The Adeptus Arbites are the civilian law enforcement, keeping an eagle eye on everyone and acting on crime and criminals with Judge Dredd-level intensity. Further up the chain, the Inquisition watches ''everyone''.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' is ''[[BlatantLies not]]'' set in any such setting. Those saying otherwise, please report to your nearest Termination Booth immediately. Have a nice day, and remember... {{The Computer is your friend}}!
* The entire world has become this in ''TabletopGame/FengShui'''s 2056 juncture, ruled over by the Bureau of Tactical Management, better known as the Buro.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Most settings have a place like this, often overlapping with TheEmpire. Forgotten Realms has Thay, Greyhawk has the Empire of Iuz, Eberron has Riedra etc. Darksun is the only setting where ''all'' the main civilizations are police states ruled by the [[EvilSorcerer Sorcerer Kings.]]

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' Metru Nui is run as this, as it is patroled by armies of Vahki who are ruthless in hunting down law breaking matoran.

* In ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', Gotham has become this when Simon Saint and his Magistrate ends up being becoming the new police following the mysterious "A-Day". In the mainstream continuity, in ''ComicBook/JamesTynionIVsBatman'', it seems to be heading in that direction [[spoiler:until the Scarecrow, realizing just how terrified Gotham is, decides to hijack the plan]].

* ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'': The National Institute for the Coordination of Science (N.I.C.E). Despite it's innocent name, the Institute manages to gain enough power to create this.
* ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters'': Hell.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', everything ruled by Jadis/the White Witch. Creator/CSLewis has something of a pattern here.

[[folder:Web Originals]]

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', after a terrorist attack instigated by the Demons, Mayor Norman Osborn hires Silver Sable and her mercenary company Sable International to end their threat. He gives them full authority, which allows them to establish restrictive curfews, checkpoint areas, and invasive surveillance throughout the city. They also arrest civilians at any sight of dissent and constantly oppose Spider-Man and the police. Unfortunately for Osborn, reality bites hard; the American public and federal government do not exactly respond well to a municipal government official acting like a tinpot dictator, and he winds up resigning in disgrace once everything is resolved at the end of the game, with a strong implication that he just ''barely'' avoided serious legal prosecution.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After the fall of beacon General Ironwood turns the kingdom of atlas into one, isolating the kingdom and calling all his forces and squeezing the city of mantle dry of resources and ordering the arrest of anyone not loyal to him.

-> ''"A policeman's job is only easy in a police state."''
-->-- '''Mike Vargas''', ''Film/TouchOfEvil''

Variants: CulturePolice, SecretPolice, StateSec. Subtrope of {{Dystopia}}.

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', after a terrorist attack instigated by the Demons, Mayor Norman Osborn hires Silver Sable and her mercenary company Sable International to end their threat. He gives them full authority, which allows them to establish restrictive curfews, checkpoint areas, and invasive surveillance throughout the city. They also arrest civilians at any sight of dissent and constantly oppose Spider-Man and the police. Unfortunately for Osborn, RealityEnsues hard; the American public and federal government do not exactly respond well to a municipal government official acting like a tinpot dictator, and he winds up resigning in disgrace once everything is resolved at the end of the game, with a strong implication that he just ''barely'' avoided serious legal prosecution.

** ''[[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]]'' has police state as a social engineering option and practically downright states that a few factions use them (The Hive is more or less forbidden from using anything else). You can even turn this UpToEleven by going for complete Thought Control once you research the technology "The Will to Power" (the [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]] reference is intentional, and also intentionally [[TheThemeParkVersion twisted]]).

* In the ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' universe, all of the major governments are Police States of varying flavours and levels of corruption, [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner in a more literal manner than the norm]].

** [[spoiler:Judge Fargo, the founder of the Judge system, never wanted America to be a police state forever. On his deathbed, he begged Dredd to restore the American Dream of freedom and democracy. Dredd allowed the Judge system to remain indefinitely.]]

%%* ''Film/BattleRoyale''

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', after a terrorist attack instigated by the Demons, Mayor Norman Osborn hires Silver Sable and her mercenary company Sable International to end their threat. He gives them full authority, which allows them to establish restrictive curfews, checkpoint areas, and invasive surveillance throughout the city. They also arrest civilians at any sight of dissent and constantly oppose Spider-Man and the police.