Police are not policing themselves
A video posted by eblockwatch has been doing the rounds in Joburg, and has now spread to parts of the United Kingdom and America.
In the video, two police officers are disarmed and locked in their own vehicle by a group of fearless thugs in Rabie Ridge.
While the video is alarming, I am sad to say I am not surprised it happened. The lack of respect many South Africans have for police officers is somewhat concerning, however some police members are also to blame.
We see photos of overweight police officers sleeping at their desks, motorists are bribed on an almost daily basis, and many crimes are left unsolved due to a lack of proper investigation.
But not all police officers are imcompetent. I like to think of it is a few rotten eggs in the system.
Someone mentioned on radio that there was a time when police vehicles did not have canopies. Suspects would be arrested, and police would drive around with the suspects for hours before booking and charging them. I would be very interested to find out the statistics on how many of these suspects jumped off the bakkie and made a run for it. The point the man was trying to make was that criminals once feared the police and they would never think of making a dash for freedom. Well, that is surely no longer the case, and if this video doing the rounds is anything to go by, it would seem the tables have somewhat turned in the last few years.
It is a very sad fact that many South Afican’s do not fear and respect the police. Many motorists drive over the alcohol limit, knowing that a couple of hundred bucks will get them off the hook. I know someone who avoided a drunk drive charge because he offered a police officer a Bar One chocolate.
But I must stress again – not all police officers, be they from the Metro police or the police are corrupt.
Criminals need to start fearing police again and law abiding citizens need to start respecting the hard work many police officers do.
For this to happen I believe station commanders need to weed out underperforming officers, and the men in blue will again become a force to be reckoned with.
VIDEO: Three arrested after locking police in vehicle
