Individuals can withdraw their consent from interactions with other individuals. They cannot do so in interactions with the police. That&#x27;s a unique power. And while the Home Office stated it, it&#x27;s the basis for policing in every developed country.<p>And there is nothing contradictory about the Home Office quote. The government is the instrument through which the people, acting collectively, coerce individuals to behave. The collective needs to consent, but the individual doesn&#x27;t need to. That&#x27;s the point of government.