BANKSY // Law Enforcement

  • Banksy’s 2002 Rude Copper police officer gives middle finger, bold anti-authority street art.
    Banksy, Rude Copper, 2002.
    Screen-print on wove paper. Edition of 250 (50 signed).
    © Banksy.
    Banksy’s depictions of law enforcement are some of his most direct and provocative political statements. Through satirical stencils and prints, he often subverts the image of the police, presenting them in absurd or ironic scenarios that undermine their authority. These works question the balance between public safety and state control, highlighting how power can be misused under the guise of law and order. By exaggerating or recontextualising their presence, Banksy challenges viewers to reconsider the role of policing in society and to question the systems that uphold inequality and suppress dissent. 
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  • ORIGINS OF THE MOTIF
  • "My main problem with cops is that they do what they’re told. They say ‘Sorry mate, I’m just doing my job’ all the time. And every time someone says ‘if it was down to me it would be ok, but I’m following orders’ a little bit inside of you dies."
    - Banksy, 
    Banksy began experimenting with the law enforcement motif in the late 1990s and early 2000s, drawing on his experiences within the Bristol street art scene, where encounters with police were a constant risk. Early stencils often showed riot officers or constables in humorous or contradictory poses, a way to poke fun at the authority figures who tried to remove his work. One of his first well-known uses of the motif was Kissing Coppers in 2004, which appeared on the side of a pub in Brighton and quickly gained international attention. Around the same time, pieces like Riot Police with Smiley Faces and Stop and Search showed his growing interest in using police imagery to highlight issues of surveillance, state power and public control. These early works set the tone for how Banksy would continue to use law enforcement figures as symbols of both control and the absurdity of authority.
    • Banksy’s 2002 Rude Copper artwork shows policeman giving rude gesture, bold early street art icon.

      Rude Copper, 2002

    • Banksy’s 2003 Flying Copper shows armed officer with smiley face, striking satirical street art.

      Flying Copper, 2003

    • Banksy’s 2004 Kissing Coppers mural of two policemen kissing, iconic work of love and unity.

      Kissing Coppers, 2004

    • Banksy’s 2005 Snorting Copper artwork depicts crouched policeman, classic satirical street art image.

      Snorting Copper, 2005

    • Banksy’s 2005 Police Kids artwork shows children in riot gear, playful and thought-provoking street art.

      Police Kids, 2005

    • Banksy’s 2006 Swat Van transforms police vehicle into urban artwork, bold and highly collectable piece.

      Swat Van, 2006

    • Banksy’s 2011 Police Sniper and Paper Bag Boy mural combines street tension with playful misdirection.

      Police Sniper and Paper Bag Boy, 2011

    • Banksy’s 2018 Banksquiat Boy and Dog Stop and Search tribute merges Basquiat influence with street art.

      Banksquiat, Boy and Dog in Stop and Search, 2018

  • POLITICAL COMMENTARY
  • Banksy’s law enforcement motif carries extra weight because his own practice operates outside the boundaries of the law. By creating...
    Banksy, Smiling Copper, 2003.
    Spray paint and acrylic on shaped cardboard, 200 × 79 cm. Unnumbered series of 10.
    © Banksy.
    Banksy’s law enforcement motif carries extra weight because his own practice operates outside the boundaries of the law. By creating uncommissioned street works, he places himself in direct opposition to the very authorities he so often depicts. This personal stake adds a sharper edge to his portrayals of police, turning them into more than abstract commentary. The tension between artist and law becomes part of the artwork itself, giving these pieces a heightened sense of risk and defiance. Each image of a smiling riot officer or a subverted constable reflects not only a critique of authority but also Banksy’s ongoing game of cat and mouse with the systems trying to silence him.
    • Banksy Girl With Baloon

      SIGNED EDITIONS

    • Banksy Show Me The Monet 2005

      ORIGINAL WORKS

    • Banksy's mural of a rhinoceros on a car

      STREET WORKS