Police deserve our backing, not our brickbats
They work their socks off, going where the rest of us would fear to tread. But there’s a massive issue facing our police, writes Keith Woods.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHO would want to be a police officer these days?
You put your life on the line. You mop up after humanity at its worst. You witness things that would make most people unable to ever sleep properly again.
And what do you get? Abuse from all quarters.
Courtesy of well-noted events in the United States, and our need to mimic all things American, police here are now being viewed with unprecedented suspicion.
Hundreds gathered outside police headquarters in Brisbane on Friday to protest the death of an indigenous woman who was in police custody when she sadly passed away.
Protesters painted “murder” on the side of the building, held a candlelit vigil and chanted “How do you spell racist - QPS”.
It was all too much for frustrated police commissioner Katarina Carroll, who was forced to defend her officers against the accusations being thrown at them.
“I am really upset about that because we’ve done the right thing all along,” Ms Carroll said. “We’ve been extraordinarily open and transparent about this investigation, like we should be and always are.
“Sadly she did pass away. Sadly it was natural causes. But we are in no way racist.”
Everywhere in this nation, police are under attack with little justification.
It doesn’t just come from the political left, either. Victorian police have had an especially rough ride of late. Not only do they have to enforce myriad coronavirus restrictions, but they have to deal with a slew of “sovereign citizen” nutters goading and harassing them.
One such genius last week filmed an encounter with police in which she refused a simple request to provide her name and address, leading inevitably to her arrest.
Because she resisted with all her strength, while screaming inanity, she had to be pulled from her car. So far so normal for this kind of idiocy.
What this columnist found most dispiriting was the torrent of criticism police received from right-wing commentators despite the ridiculous behaviour of the woman towards officers.
Blinded by their disdain for Beijing’s favourite Premier Dan Andrews and the spiffing job he’s done in turning Melbourne into an Aussie Wuhan, they piled into VicPol.
How bizarre to essentially see them jumping on the “police brutality” bandwagon.
The woman was a muppet, and if anything, police behaved with remarkable restraint in the circumstances.
As this column has noted before, there is a tried and tested method, passed down through the ages, for avoiding the horror of so-called “police brutality”. Follow police directions - and don’t break the law. Easy.
Go about your life, and let them get on with their job.
Sadly, anti-police hysteria is spreading like a disease around the globe. Like COVID-19, it threatens our way of life. Defund the police? Only if you want anarchy.
We need to counter the unnecessary hostility towards police and treat them with the respect they deserve.
They do a tough, dangerous job – and we should have their back. If we don’t, long term, we could see the best and the brightest turning away from the profession.
After all, if all you’re going get after working your socks off is abuse from all quarters, well, who would want to be a police officer?
STRANGE SIGHT IN SKY OVER BRISBANE
Speaking of showing appreciation, it was a sad moment in April when a traditional Anzac Day flyover was banned due to coronavirus restrictions.
One can only imagine the surprise of disappointed veterans last week when a plane flew over Brisbane dragging a message of appreciation for our Dear Leader which read, “We are safe cause she is strong”.
We are safe because she is strong👇#qldpol #queensland pic.twitter.com/lkQFpkTh73
— Queensland Labor (@QLDLabor) September 16, 2020
Granted, the stunt was in response to a nasty message hauled through the air by another plane days earlier, but it was still a bit of a shocker to see a North Korean-style slogan unfurled.
If only the Anzac Day pilots had thought of attaching similar messages to their planes, they might have got airborne.
It would have been more appropriate actually. The wartime sacrifice was far greater. We are safe, because they were strong.
Originally published as Police deserve our backing, not our brickbats