Who or which ?

[motico]

Which is correct and why? Thanks.

Later in the morning, angry demonstrators threw rocks at police who/which tried to enter the village.

 

[emsr2d2]

Which is correct and why? Thanks.

Later in the morning, angry demonstrators threw rocks at police who/which tried to enter the village.

Which one do you think is correct, and why?

 

[motico]

Which one do you think is correct, and why?

It is a quote from a newspaper and the original sentence is: " Later in the morning, angry demonstrators threw rocks at police who tried to enter the village."
In my opinion it should be which because police is an inanimate. I wonder if there is an explanation for the use of who in the sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

It is a quote from a newspaper and the original sentence is: " Later in the morning, angry demonstrators threw rocks at police who tried to enter the village."
In my opinion it should be which because police is an inanimate. I wonder if there is an explanation for the use of who in the sentence.

You have inanimate police in your country?! How strange. How do the police do their job if they are not alive?

 

[motico]

You have inanimate police in your country?! How strange. How do the police do their job if they are not alive?

In my language "police" is perceived as a body and therefore is an inanimate (unlike "policemen").

 

[bhaisahab]

In my language "police" is perceived as a body and therefore is an inanimate (unlike "policemen").

It doesn't work that way in English.