‘THE police are no longer professional and have lost everyone’s respect’, this was the message we had gotten used to, coming from anyone who had visited home.
It had become an ordeal to deal with our police officers, their sight filled one with a sense of dread.
It seemed after every 10m, at every turn, there was the police not for our protection but to harass us.
The role of police officers at some point changed for the worst.
They became an evil rather than a force of good.
It became traumatic when one could not even get recourse at the Police General Headquarters for abuse.
It became the centre for corrupt activities.
It was horrible to pay the police to do work they were being already paid to carry out.
If one did not pay ‘something’ there was no guarantee of service.
Robert Shanduka, a banker turned lawyer stated that going back home was once again a blissful experience as far as the police are concerned.
The police had become the biggest single nightmare for the diaspora.
One would return home unaware of the prevailing ‘rates’ on the roads, unaware of the thousand ‘laws’ which only the police officers knew and which you would be accused of having ‘violated’.
Presenting a British driver’s licence would almost always guarantee half a day at a roadblock.
The only way to leave a roadblock without being harassed was to leave ‘something’ for the police.
But thanks to Operation Restore Legacy, our police are once again returning to being the people’s police.
Everyone going home returns to these cold shores with positive messages about the police.
Gone are the days of harassment, people no longer have to ‘budget’ for the police.
Once again we are beginning to respect our police officers.
They are now courteous and no longer bullies.
The police are typically the face of the nation, anywhere in the world, for they are the first people we go to for assistance.
And when they become public enemy number one that is a recipe for disaster for any nation.
We are happy that the New Dispensation has made it a priority to ensure that the police are once again the respected force that they were.
Indeed, the refresher courses and retraining are the way to go.
Once again our roads are a delight to travel, a holiday back home now really feels like a vacation.
We can visit all our relatives in all corners of the country, getting to them while we are in a good mood and not grumpy after being harassed on the road.
The Diaspora gratefully welcomes the reorganisation of the police.
For views and comments, email: Vazet 2000@ yahoo. co.uk.