A policewoman in Victoria has made a public announcement that she knows would lead to her dismissal and so announces at the same time that she quits.
Why? Because she finds it repugnant and wrong what the police in Victoria are doing and ‘have’ to do.
One policewoman from over 21,000 isn’t a lot, is it?
But prior to this we had nothing.
What it is as a percentage is: 0.0047 % give or take a tad.
If there were twice as many we’d have 0.009 %, thereabouts.
If there were 100 times as many we’d have 0.47%
Do you see where this is going? This is a yardstick. A kind of measure. That’s where it is going.
A measure. Of what?
Of the closeness of the police force with the community.
Of the concern within the police force for the community.
For the commitment within the police force to the community as members of the community.
We could say: as the participatory rate of the police with the community.
Make an apology, an excuse: “more would speak out but the rules forbid it”.
I don’t accept it. I say that weighs down heavily on the other side. I mean the very continued acceptance of that ‘rule’, ‘regulation’ is a continuing demonstration of an essential separation between police and people.
Bringing it into the debate as a factor supposedly mitigating against this particular measurement is therefore not valid. Quite the opposite. Bringing it in should ADD to this particular measurement. Make it worse.
Push the number of zeroes after the decimal further to the right.
I know I’ve gotten a bit abstruse and probably logically at fault there.
But what I’m trying to say is that years of condoning this ‘can’t speak out’ rule ( if in fact it really is true as commonly presented ) is a record, a fact, that sets them automatically way, way back in any measure of their essential ‘involvement with, care for’, the people.
Like I’m mixing two different things, is the problem, I guess.
I’m saying today it is hard fact that only 0.0047% of you give a damn about the people, about your essential existence as part of the people.
And I’m saying that has to be added onto – ADDED ONTO – your record of decades of allowing, permitting, conceding, bowing to, adhering to, a stricture that says you cannot speak to the people. (If it’s true that stricture really exists).
NOT used as an excuse trying to maintain ‘oh there’s many of us really but we’re not allowed to speak out’.
NO. The fact that you’ve never found any ways to speak out about this ‘stricture’ is condemnatory of itself.
Hmmm. That’s what I reckon. Why do I get so exercised about it? Because I’m on my third glass of wine.
No. Or maybe. But also because I was brought up to believe in coppers. In the law. That they were part of us and in fact heroes amongst us for they protected us.
I expect them at all times to be for me, with me, helping me, caring for me, protecting me – as long as I’m doing nothing wrong.
Or even if I am. There’s a hell of a wide range of ‘doing something wrong’ – all the way from murderers by proxy killing people from boardroom tables by ordering mine poisonous effluent go into native drinking water streams to accidental traffic restriction infringers.
What is common amongst all that wide range?
As far as police actions, which I’m talking about: the concern they have for the individual and how they treat the individual.
They are not the judge. They know that. So they treat the individual as innocent if at all possible and give all due respect.
It is fundamental. It is the basis.
What we have in police states, authoritarian states, dictatorships, etc, is a fundamental where the people are seen as always in the wrong. And the police are seen as always well within their rights to treat anyone at any time with any kind of brutality they wish.
Exemplified by statements such as ‘You’ll get this or that right restored if you do this or that..’
Exemplified.
It is the quintessential brutal dictatorial statement.
Made in Australia by a quite humdrum, quite ordinary politician. Endorsed in effect by mimicry by many of them.
Forgive them Lord for they know not what they do is about all you can say.
So, yep. One policewoman. 0.0047% of the Force.
‘Let the Force be with you’ they say in Star Wars, don’t they?
Well that’s how much of the Force is with us: 0.0047%
Here: