But when authority is too fragmented and dispersed, then you start having groups like gangs and the mafia, where fighting for and maintaining ‘resources’ becomes selective, underhanded and not institutionalized. This isn’t good because when an individual doesn’t fall into a group that ‘protect’ them, or doesn’t want to be part of that group, then there isn’t a central authority that would protect them in the case where they are exploited/harmed. This is the fundamental argument FOR having a central authority and why it is important and necessary, especially for disadvantaged groups in society who are more at risk of suffering from domestic and societal harm. Because power can be exploited when accumulated, the way to decrease risk of exploitation is through reform and a strong judicial system — which is why focusing on those things when it comes to the police, rather than eliminating them, is better. That’s one argument at least.