Kudos to Metro cops

Well, everywhere may be a slight exaggeration – but the point is, I have noticed Metro police officers on our roads, which is fantastic.

Visible policing definitely has an effect on bylaw infringements and it is so great to see that our men in blue are out there and holding motorists accountable.

For the last few years, just about every time this column has highlighted the Metro police, it has been in a negative light. That they were not doing their jobs, that there was bribery in a particular area or that they simply were not being seen as effective.

I am not sure what has happened over the past two weeks, but I really would like to congratulate these officers.

I have seen police directing traffic in the rain, making a motorist reverse for driving on the wrong side of the road, pulling over taxis to check for road worthiness, towing away illegal trailer adverts and generally making sure the bylaws in Joburg are enforced.

To every officer in Joburg who has contributed to the change in the last few days I want to say, thank you.

Thank you for putting your life on the line for us, thank you for standing and directing traffic so we could get home on time and thank you for protecting our road users.

I am a big believer in recognising and acknowledging good work and would like to ask Joburg residents to help me with this.

When you see an officer doing something good, please write to the North Eastern Tribune and tell us about it.

We are always so quick to complain, but let’s be as quick to compliment. Next time you see an officer standing in the rain directing traffic, smile at him or her. When you are pulled over and the officer is polite – take down their badge number and let the newspaper know what happened so we can publicly thank that officer.

Great work deserves recognition, and recognition can motivate all to do even better.

To send your good news story to the newspaper, e-mail tribune@caxton.co.za