Garth Rattray | Why people fight the police

The number of cell phone videos showing citizens resisting the police is increasing. There are numerous reasons why people fight the police. All of them stem from a viscous cycle of aggression, indiscipline and corruption. They will lead to anarchy unless something is done urgently.

The constabulary issued a statement saying that citizens "... have a responsibility to comply with the instructions of the police when they are being arrested". That warning will fall on deaf ears because our society is being allowed to descend into chaos. The authorities are failing to adapt to societal decline.

I have been exposed to the entire gamut of police personnel, from commissioners of police to constables and from dutiful, sacrificial, hard-working policemen and policewomen to dastardly craven, corrupt police. I have seen police who have been threatened by other police because they are doing their jobs efficiently and working according to the letter of the law. I have also encountered police who use their jobs to extort motorists and businesses.

I had a very good friend who I have seen pay off police in patrol cars to keep a special watch over him and his place of business, yet he was killed in broad daylight by a criminal - the police had not yet arrived for their weekly cash.

On the other hand, I know police who put the safety of the citizens far above their own while collecting inadequate remuneration for their troubles. There are many more good, decent and hard-working cops than there are shirking rogues, but the rogues and corrupt ones are so busy hustling and covering up their misdeeds that they get the attention of citizens. Consequently, most police get a very bad name.

I've been stopped for speeding six times. I was a little over the limit two of those times, but was let off with a warning. The other 4 times were blatant falsehoods where the traffic police showed me the speed gun reading recorded for some other driver who was actually speeding.

FALSIFIED RECORDS

In another incident, a plain-clothed policeman ran a two-way stop sign and hit my pickup (in the left rear side) so hard that it went up into the air, landed on two wheels and circumscribed an arc as it spun 180 degrees. He called his pals and told them that I was speeding, lost control, struck him as he waited, and tried to speed away. In spite of my numerous letters to all concerned, he was never charged. Instead, he was promoted and retired. The records were falsified to save him. This kind of thing causes people to lose respect for the police.

Aside from the relatively few dirty cops who make it very bad for other cops, there are several lackadaisical police who perform their duties half-heartedly and perfunctorily. I have seen police ignoring errant motorists on many occasions.

We need more traffic policing. We need after-hours 'traffic school' for offences and less emphasis on ticketing for deterrence and revenue. We need to stamp out corrupt cops with numerous (undercover) sting operations. We need to train the police to be forthright and stop arguing with suspects while arresting them. We need a sustained deluge of public-service announcements explaining that we are to obey the commands of the police and complain through established channels afterwards. We need law and order in the streets.

The following factors are to blame for people fighting the police:

1. The widespread aggression, indiscipline, lawlessness and corruption within society.

2. A minority of errant and sometimes abusive police.

These cause many citizens to lose respect for, and trust in the police. It's a shame that things have come to this.

- Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.