Have the police clocked out?

Greece's police force has "enormous potential, as long as it is used correctly," a retired high-ranking officer of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) said on TV the other day. That "correct use" is what seems so elusive.

The revelations about a string of blatant oversights which led to the deadly hooligan violence in Athens on Monday were like a curtain being pulled open, exposing all the force's weaknesses and failings. The government insists that the matter will be investigated in full and that more heads will roll. Is that enough? Is replacing a few people here and there sufficient to improve how ELAS works?

One thing we have learned from the recent events in Nea Filadelfia is that the police are unable to act automatically. In theory, any serious security threat (like the arrival of more than a hundred far-right hooligans in the country) should be met by a set response. A...