Civility down the drain when riffraff rule

THE article in Monday’s ZO headlined ‘Explosive New Year antics anger’, is cause for concern.

That the Empangeni family and their visiting friends were bombarded by neighbours’ fireworks and then powerful ‘pipe bombs’ that actually broke up a concrete water feature, is bad enough.

But what is really disturbing is that seven police officers who arrived in a kombi failed to restore order.

If it is true that they said they were too scared to intervene because they may get injured and only offered to (possibly) chat to the unruly neighbours the next morning when they were sober, we have no hope of ever restoring the fast dwindling civility in our suburbs.

Unfortunately one cannot choose one’s neighbours, so when the riffraff with no regard to other people’s rights, peace and privacy move in, the hell ride begins.

To try and reason with drunken louts who pump their music full-blast day and night is a futile exercise. Reasoning is only possible with reasonably intelligent people.

That is why we have municipal bylaws in place and police officers who are supposed to act when these are transgressed.

As we all know all our municipalities, apart from always quoting the bylaws and wagging a limp finger, do not have the will or courage to ensure that law and order prevail.

If we have now reached the stage when seven police officers are too scared to protect the public from louts, we are indeed in trouble.

CHRIS BURROWS