ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

MISJUDGEMENT


I often see images on the TV news of police officers trying to deal with violent and confronting situations. What I see makes me cringe.
I see officers dressed in flak jackets and military style helmets, wielding pistols, batons, capsicum spray, taser darts and even military assault rifles; most of those things I never had and would not have wanted to use when I was a plod. And surely police officers are not soldiers, they are members of the community appointed as officers of the law, they shouldn't need to use soldiers weapons.

I am convinced that the most effective items in the law officers " armoury " should be 1. Head for thinking 2. Eyes for looking 3. Ears for listening and most importantly.... 4. Mouth for talking. Effective dialogue is of much more value than force. Also 5. The little pocket notebook. Recording evidence correctly has brought justice on many occasions.
In other words, if you have your wits about you, things can be resolved constructively. Force tends to be destructive.

I can recount one event, however, where I badly misjudged the application of the vital tools of wit and wisdom ( only one... well )

We went to a so-called domestic trouble. A big bully of a bloke had beaten up his lady, so we decided that he had to be taken in to face the magistrate. Being arrested didn't suit him and on this occasion the use of a bit of physical force was necessary to bring this bloke to justice.
As we bundled him into the back of the waggon, his lady was standing nearby. I decided to say something encouraging to her in case she was thinking of changing sides ( which can happen when a person sees their other being manhandled by cops )
So I said to her " I haven't much respect for a man who beats up a woman. Especially a pregnant woman " I glanced at her swollen torso.
She replied rather tersely " I am not pregnant "

" ah...er....um...OH !! "

As a postscript to the assault charge, this fellow pleaded not guilty and in the court case, his lady did change sides and lied in the witness box to support his denial. Unfortunately for them, when the bloke got in the witness box, being the coward that he was, he caved in to the prosecutors cross examination and confessed his guilt.
One good thing, I never again heard of any strife between them.

I learned a valuable, if painful, lesson in ; look, think... then speak.
After that I was very circumspect on delicate women's issues.

good one Neville my old grand dad made this statement Son. Stop . Look. Listen.

bill Williams

He was right. Thanks Bill.

an unfortunate sign of the times Nev, I was going to say there is a lack of respect shown by the younger generation but will rephrase that, There is a lack of respect shown by some people many who should be older enough to know better.

It starts in the home and always has.


I was working around the shower block today and heard a young kid about nine ask his dad " when are we going fishing "

The answer " when I'm good and ....... ready !" and the word was not bloody.

Bob

That's a contemptible man Bob, who doesn't love his son.

I agree Nev, regarding the plod and their armoury. I understand Police need to be prepared to protect themselves (and the public) at any moment, but here in Qld at least they've started wearing these life-jacket looking vests adorned with Tasers, guns, batons etc. It mustn't be compulsory because here in our little town only some choose to laden themselves, for example, on a casual stroll through the Saturday morning markets by the foreshore. It looks over-reactionary, lends itself to ridicule, and questions the training of these young officers.

Marty