something that always strikes me about the portrayal of policing in Discworld is that the Watch is often portrayed as little better than a nuisance. But for Plot reasons there's always a diabolical scheme brewing in the background that needs Vimes's detective skills to uncover. This ultimately serves as a justification for the continued existence of the Watch. Real life, of course, has no Wolfgangs.

divorced from my distaste for cop apologia, though, it's a very good discworld book.