Why not brand SAP as good police

 

Good Police will never be seen through media most of the time.

The purpose of  media?

Media producers , both for profit and non profit have one intention when creating their media messages  to sell you something . The statement “ the media wants to sell you something “ really means the media wants to convince you of something . They want to convince you to buy one of two things, product and service or ideology. My problem is so much is said  through media that little is thought about by viewers and listeners which comes to  my discussion , so much is said about police brutality , so much is said about the ill treatment that the police give us but do police receive support recognition from the community ?   All I hear is the constant hammering of how brutal and corrupt police are and explicit pictures that don’t let our minds forget incidents where police show their wrath.

The problem

Media has labelled South African criminal cops as rot . According to a 2013 article by Julien Radyemeyer and Kak Winkinson the South African police service revealed recently that 1,448 serving police officer are convicted criminals among them are major generals , ten brigadiers ,21conels, ten majors ,43lieutant- colonels 163 captains ,84 lieutenanats and 7,6 warrant officers .  History has also showed police have been rocked by serious of crippling corruption scandals in recent years. In 2010 the national police commissioner Jakie Selebi was convicted of corruption and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was later released on medical grounds after serving just 229 days of his sentence. The  National Police Bheki Cele was suspended last year after allegations of unlawful property deals . The next one was Richard Mdluli , the head of police crime intelligence  faced  what the Pretoria based institute for Security Studies described as an “ astonishing array of allegations “ implicating Mduli and colleagues in murder , rape , influence peddling misusing slush funds and hiring relatives. This is what South African police are branded as .

What society does not take into consideration

Police have a huge responsibility they are expected to bring about law and order in very difficult situations ,they are the people who put their lives at risk as soon as they leave home everyday. Police are also often more in touch with extremely painful issues in the community.

 

Police are expected to deal with child abuse , rape , Police are also the ones who are called out to the scene of a murder or assault. Being witness to these horrific circumstances is incredibly stressful and can at times lead to feelings of depression and disillusionment . Those police officers who live in the areas in which they work may in fact be familiar with both the victims and perpetrators of crime. 

Police officers often feel that they are unable to speak to their families and friends about their experience while on duty this can result in feelings of isolation by police officers . These feelings are taken back to the home lives of police workers. Within their home lives of police officers feel misunderstood and maybe placed under further stress as a result of domestic responsibilities.

How to change image

One  out of ten police will still continue with these crimes , but I think it’s time to recognise the good deeds of good police I feel that every  Police station should recognise cops every month , station commanders should host braai’s where self confidence of police is boosted , engage them about life and self development courses .

·         If you are not already an active member of your CPF , contact the chairperson of the  committee and ask him/her  how you can support the local police. They might help you setup cop of the month award programme , the community should write cards to express their gratification.

 

·         Get in touch with a local CPF or Station Commissioner as outlined above and explore how you  best can best support professional policing.

 

·         It is important that the community must know about positive experiences about police possibly  in that community through social networks like twitter , face book  .

 

·         It also helps to make their lives easier by giving them tip offs to reassure them that the community  knows what they want in their community and how willing they are able to keep their community safe

 

South Africans we have a good story to tell and that covers all benefits we have received in different  government departments , careers , industries , factories , let us try explore what we have received and brand our country.