Try not to think of the police when you have a policeman dream. Think of related concepts and scenarios such as "found out", "at fault", and "feeling guilty".

POLICE IN DREAMS : Understanding dreams is not so difficult. In practice dream symbols translate into certain words within the English language. For instance a "police" dream may simply capture your feeling that "I made an important error at work and I hope I will not be found out" and so the police may translate into the word "found out". The dream uses police as we would use the words "found out".

KEY WORDS LINKED TO POLICE DREAMS? Try to think of thoughts and feelings in your mind right now which include the words and phrases below
- "bad behaviour" (in dreams police search out bad behaviour of all kinds not just criminal activity)
- "dodgy" (if you were worried that people see you as a low life - or that you felt uncomfortable with someone who looked like they might commit crime)
- "feeling guilty" (if you have knowingly done something that you feel was wrong - not just criminal acts. We can feel guilty on the ground of moral reasons e.g. treating someone badly because they are uneducated.)
- "at fault" (you maybe worried that an authority figure finds you at fault in the same way the police decide who is guilty and who is in the right. Has something just happened at work and is everyone trying to apportion blame?)
- "exaggerating the problem" (Has someone been treating you like criminal - have they exaggerated something out of proportion? Have you been exaggerating how bad someone else is?)
- "doing something wrong" (Have you just done something wrong? Does someone feel that you are in the wrong?)
- "a crisis" (the police restore order in a crisis. A dream can be triggered by any personal crisis. The dream simply means that you wish order to be restored to your world)
- "found out" (Do you fear being found out in some way? What does the phrase "found out" make you think of right now? If you can think of something then your dream may link to that)
- "guarded and cautious" (Feeling guarded and cautious is very much a police thing.)
- "acceptable" (cops in dreams neatly translates into the word "acceptable". Many things in life are not against the law but we still find them totally unacceptable. We would still view them as a crime in the same way as an actual crime.)
- "breaking rules" (Police make sure people do not break laws. But similar processes apply in real life. Clubs, workplaces and even community centres have their own rules and these are "policed". Have you broke any rules in this sense? Rules apply in many informal settings too and these are often "policed" in a vigorous way. Think of a group of girls who all go out together. One might be shunned by the others if she does not fit in properly by wearing the right make up and clothes.)
- "unfairly treated" (Do you feel unfairly treated? Do others feel unfairly treated right now? If so then the police tap into the same emotions. This can apply in strange ways - a child can feel unfairly treated because they do not get what they want. They feel a real sense of injustice)
- "under investigation" (teachers, managers and parents investigate in the same way that police decide who is at fault. Are you been investigated in some way? Is there an inquiry into why something went wrong at work?)
- "defensive reaction" (has someone acted suspiciously? Were you thinking that someone acted oddly yesterday? Perhaps their body language suggested that something was not quite right? We often sense something wrong without knowing quit what has caused it.)
- "intrusive" (police can be very intrusive. If something is wrong they have a perfect right to interfere in your world. Police may appear in dreams simply to express your wish to be left alone - you do not want others going through your things. This theme could apply in ways you do not expect. Think of a daughter looking through her elderly fathers things to see if he was looking after himself properly)
- "powerless" (Sometimes a police dream is just your minds way of saying you feel "powerless". Why? Because in many criminal situations we feel powerless and wish for police intervention. Your dream is saying that you feel a similar sense of powerlessness right now)
Read through the various words and phrases listed here and then try to see how any of these relate to you right now.

- "behaving recklessly" (We think of certain types of behaviour going together. Teenagers can behave in reckless ways which we often think can slide into law breaking.)
- "a need for protection" (Try to see dreams as linking to certain types of feelings. Why do people want the protection of the police? Its because they feel seriously threatened and under pressure. What could have triggered those same emotions in you. Are there some serious bad guys in your life right now? Are you looking for others to defend you against them?)
- "reassured" (The police often provide a reassuring presence and your dream may link to that same need for reassurance right now.)
- "peace of mind" (Do you or others just want to restore peace to your mind? Has life been very hectic recently and you just want a bit of peace and quiet? In such cases the police represent the wish for a more settled environment.)
- "commotion" (Is life total chaos right now? Was there too much commotion going on yesterday. The police dream may simply be part of your wish for a more settled life right now)
- "low life" (Does the phrase "low life" trigger anything in your mind right now? Do you worry that others see you as a "low life"? Are you worried about the someone in your life whom you feel is a "low life"? These concerns are played out in dreams)

Dreams can use symbols in sophisticated ways. Its easy to see how dreams may link to a simple scenario where you fear being found out for breaking the rules at work. A police dream may also link to situations which feature being "found out" such as "I like breaking the rules. The fear that you might be found out makes me excited."

- "That's a FORBIDDEN SUBJECT - we are not allowed to mention it because he is sensitive about it"
- "That's OFF LIMITS"
- "my peace of mind"
- "breaking the rules"
- "that's NOT RIGHT"
- "getting FOUND OUT", "CAUGHT in the act"
- "we do things this way!"
- "its totally against what he thinks is ACCEPTABLE"

The following list shows dreams on this site which all featured COPS or similar symbols.