Imagine kissing your family goodbye this morning and not knowing if you’ll get the chance to do the same tomorrow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Imagine clocking on to work and not knowing whether you’ll be bashed or injured during your shift.
Imagine if your office was some of the roughest streets in Cowra and your “clients” were broken people who hated your guts and had nothing to lose.
Our police don’t have to imagine – they live it in Cowra seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year.
How often do you take pause to consider it?
Policing has always had inherent risks but the emerging “ice age” –and diminishing societal respect for authority – means never has there been a time when officers were subjected to such clear and present danger.
In the past, police had little more than the blue shirt on their back as armour.
They carried guns but instead used their words and ability to reason with angry men as the weapon of choice.
Attacks on police were rare and when they did happen, they drew outrage and condemnation.
Today’s officer wears ballistic armour and carries an arsenal of weapons and tools.
Their words don’t penetrate the drug-addled minds of many angry men and women, who would readily assault an officer.
The drug menace, the cause and effect of so much crime in Cowra and many other centres throughout NSW, has irrevocably changed policing.
In what world could this ever be acceptable?
In southern NSW late last week a female officer was the victim of a serious assault, an assault that will leave her with physical and possibly mental scars for years to come.
Drugs may not have been to blame in this instance as the man’s legal representative has claimed he is suffering from mental health issues, but tall too often drugs are an issue.
Attacks on our police are no longer rare and when they occur and police have no choice but to use force to protect themselves and restrain a person the the cries of police brutality are deafening.
All decent-thinking Australians stand with police against drugs, crime and terrorism.
We should all feel an obligation to thank police for the thankless work they do in our communities.
A simple thank you or a smile can speak volumes.