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Policing the police
Posted by: Language Girl on Apr 28, 2010
The arrest of two members of the police during the ‘busting’ of a blue light gang in Pretoria is good news, certainly, but the fact that two of the gang members are members of the police force is most definitely not a cause for celebration.
The ‘police the police’ campaign, suggesting that eblockwatch members record any interactions with the police on their cellphones, should they be pulled over, in order to protect themselves, is totally horrifying. Why should it be necessary for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves from those who are supposed to protect them?
Reading any newspaper now is more of a challenge than an informative exercise, and attempting to avoid negative thinking is all but impossible. Instead of excitement and enthusiasm over the amazing opportunity which the Soccer World Cup is set to bring to so many citizens of this country, the focus is more on corruption, crooked cops, a judiciary in deep trouble, and a crime rate which is out of control.
For a blond, white woman driving a Citi Golf, the risk of a hijacking, smash and grab or worse is high, and who will she call for assistance? Will anybody answer the call? Her fiancé, riding a motorbike, is equally at risk. If he is knocked off his bike by an ‘official’ vehicle or one of the blue light vehicles, will anybody help? If so, will the paramedics responding to the call be attacked, raped or robbed? Will his wallet be stolen by the ‘helpers’, who will then use his credit card to fulfil the wish-list of expensive booze and essential ‘bling’?
Even writing about the possibilities is depressing, yet ignoring them could literally be fatal. Taking a helicopter ride to the site of this recent ‘busting’ of the blue light gang may have been a fabulous idea for General Bheki Cele, but in terms of fighting crime it did nothing but demonstrate, once again, just where priorities lie. Not with solving crime or assisting the victims. Public profiles clearly take priority here. I wonder how the victims of violent criminals like the blue light gangs feel about such displays, or is that irrelevant.
Please may it not be too late to stop the deep-seated rot, and recreate a working and accountable police force and an honest unbiased and apolitical judiciary. |
