Confidence in local police can be tested by poor response times, heavy-handed arrests and the use of force in questionable circumstances. With less than a week to go to the U.S. election, the latter remains one of the top issues for American voters heading to the ballot box. Protests against police brutality are still common in the U.S. five months after George Floyd's death and this week has seen major unrest in Philadelphia after the fatal police shooting of a Black man. The protests resulted in the Philadelphia Police Department requesting residents in seven districts to remain indoors for a second night after demonstrations that involved violence and looting.

So where do people have the highest and lowest confidence in law enforcement? Gallup recently released its Law & Order Index, which is a composite score based on reported confidence in the police, feelings of personal security and incidences of theft or mugging in different countries over the past year. Its findings are from 2019 and were recorded in advance of the latest signs of U.S. discontent with the police. Gallup found that the U.S. had a score of 85 out of 100, putting it on the same confidence level as Ireland, France and Sweden as well as ahead of the global average.

Singapore had the joint highest level of confidence in law and order in this edition of the index with a score of 97 along with the autocratic nation of Turkmenistan. China rounded off the top-three with 94 out of 100. The lowest confidence levels were seen in Afghanistan, unsurprising considering ongoing violence in the country. Gabon, Liberia and Venezuela were also at the bottom of the law and order confidence rankings.