police officer
Unicode: 1F46E
Description
A police officer, depicted in a dark blue uniform with a cap, often holding a badge or wearing a belt with equipment. The emoji is available in gender-neutral, male, and female variants, and various skin tones.
Group:
People & Body > person-role
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Represents law enforcement, security, authority, order, and protection. Can also be used to signify someone on duty or involved in policing.
Backstory
The Police Officer emoji was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Initially, many platforms showed a male police officer, but subsequent updates introduced female and gender-neutral versions to promote inclusivity.
Usage Examples
- Reporting an incident: 'I saw something suspicious, maybe we should call the police 👮.'
- Talking about security: 'Police presence was high at the event 👮♀️.'
- Referring to a specific role: 'He's training to be a police officer 👮♂️.'
- In a costume context: 'I'm thinking of going as a police officer for Halloween 👮.'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Generally seen as a symbol of law enforcement and public safety, but also a figure of authority that can be viewed positively or negatively depending on individual experiences and social context.
East Asian culture:
Similar associations with law and order, but might also be used in contexts related to public service, community roles, or even in a more formal respectful way regarding officials.