Another difference to the behaviour of rule enforcers described by
Becker is that the police officers do not need to coerce ‘respect from the
people’ they deal with ( 1963 ,p. 158). They described their relation with the
coffee shop owners and managers in general as ‘good’ and stated that, as a
rule, coffee shop owners co-operate in a positive way. According to the
police, the interaction with the coffee shop owners varies from ‘formal and
business-like’ to ‘having a good collaboration’. But when an infraction of
the law is observed, this will always be noted. As one officer stated: ‘when
it is wrong, it is wrong and we act according to the rules’. This matter of
fact approach, which lacks a strong moral involvement, corresponds to
Becker’s definition of the rule enforcer.
Although the police officers like to present themselves as firm and
business-like, they will alert the managers of coffee shops to circumstances
that might lead to violations. Police officers who claim they never negoti-
ate, actually inform managers that the presence of a person under 18 in a
coffee shop who is not buying anything, is in itself a violation that can lead
to temporary closure for at least three months: ‘And then we say of course,
hey, watch it, pay attention, if you have a minor just standing in front of
the counter, you’re already in trouble’. Such a piece of advice and educa-
tion can be seen as a moral act, not only because it implies care and invol-
vement, but also because it is related to questions of intention and guilt.
The way in which the police officers relate to the coffee shop owners and
their personnel also has another moral aspect. Sometimes a manager tells
the police that he has problems with minors trying to buy cannabis in his
shop with a false ID. This in itself might be a reason to charge the owner
with one of the gravest violations: having minors in the coffee shop, as one
of the police officers said. But in practice they make a moral judgement
based on the character and intentions of the coffee shop owner. The
officers say that in the case of the coffee shop owner complaining about
minors in his shop, that his intentions are good so they will not take action
against him.
Another reason not to take action has a more pragmatic side
and is related to relation management. The police officers also want to
maintain good relationships with coffee shop owners, especially those who
co-operate, because this might come in handy in the future. Generally
speaking, the ‘neighbourhood police’ have the closest and most personal
relations with the coffee shop managers in their area because they need to
be able to rely on them and get information about what goes on in the
neighbourhood: ‘what is important to me is that I have a good relationship
with them. When something goes wrong, we need each other’.
Moral Entrepreneurship Revisited 151