EDITOR – It is truly a sad time for the Edenvale Community, since the airing of a sensational story on Carte Blanche last week Sunday, July 19.
Unfortunately, when a poorly researched and biased story is aired by Carte Blanche, it lends to the fact that there are bad elements in the Edenvale SAPS – just as there are in every area of human life. However, while doing this, it paints all elements of the same service with a very damning brush.
The way the story was conveyed was not that of rooting out corruption and bad behaviour of a select few individuals, but to tarnish the exceptional reputation of the Edenvale SAPS as a whole.
The other side of the story (presumably for reasons of sensationalism) was glossed over.
Not long ago, I was one among many who were involved in signing and helping distribute a petition in order to ensure Lt Col Robbie Roberts remained at the Edenvale Police Station, as the community at large did not want to lose the man who, with the help of a good many decent people within the police force, is keeping the residents of the Edenvale Community safer than a number of places.
Tens of thousands signed this petition in favour of him staying due to the fact that he has worked harder (upwards of 12 hour shifts regularly), been more involved in the community (he is all over newspapers every week), and sacrificed so much to give back to the community.
Why, I cry, has the community suddenly turned on the Edenvale SAPS in such a rabid manner?
Damning fingers have just been pointed at individuals such as Station Commander Col Eddie Trollip, who has only recently taken over at the Edenvale SAPS, and Lt Col Robbie Roberts who has served diligently for a long time, instead of these persons finding out the whole story.
Ill-wishing and ill-informed community members have locked onto the media-hype, and are following the leaders of ‘this glorious revolution’ like sheep.
Where are those people who signed the petition for Lt Col Robbie Roberts and were happy to give testimony to all his integrity and wonderful work, businesses and individuals alike?
It is all well and good believing that a story on Carte Blanche is totally factual because of their history and (before this story was aired) their good reputation.
The fact is every story has two sides.
While it may be true that there was heavy handedness, does anyone ever think why?
Were the individual officer(s) provoked, perhaps assaulted, even verbally?
I do not believe that any decent human being (including police officers) will go out of their way to be racist or to treat another individual badly, based on no reason at all.
The individuals who testified likely do not have as squeaky clean a reputation as was told.
Instead of hiding behind ill-informed religious views, masks of outrage, and the skirts of anonymity, they should go to the police station and open a case, as Lt Col Robbie Roberts has been known to plead with community members to do.
Suddenly the community seems to have forgotten all of the good that has been done by the majority of members at Edenvale SAPS.
I do reiterate that there are a select few who do the job for the wrong reasons (as in every area of society) but these bad elements are not always that easy to just remove, as you need substantial evidence to prove this, which so few citizens are willing to provide.
What of all the good people who risk their lives on a daily basis, and have helped (and hopefully will continue to help) our community?
Their task is thankless and often one which the community as a whole hears or sees little about except for that which is sensationally reported.
Sadly, I suppose good stories do not make for interesting reading or viewership.
I challenge more people to think twice when considering Edenvale SAPS and not to base their opinion on what they saw or heard, but on what they have experienced, and I can guarantee that the good will far outweigh the bad.
We as a community need to stand up and say that we know there may be problems, but we are going to come together and work with Edenvale SAPS and say thank you for all their hard work in protecting us, because if I were a police officer who had gone beyond the call of duty many times for his community thinking that he/she had the communities’ support, I would think twice about going that extra mile the next time someone needs help because of the lack of support from that community.
ANDRE VAN ELST
EDENVALE.
