Change One Thing - The Worst of Us Should Not Police Us

The worst of us should not police us

And this is why I think we have incompetent extortionists as police officers in this country. In 2013, I discovered a short route to school, through hills a bush and a stream. My cousin told me that a lot of bad things happen around that path that's why it wasn't popular. I was disappointed but will I leave the route that took me to school in 16 minutes to take the one that takes close to 30 minutes?

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I started taking the same route back too. Since I didn't see anything bad in the first one week my cousin showed me the path, but it wasn't long until I encountered a blood chilling scene. A girl ran past me screaming for help. She was a student of my school, a junior actually. I didn't know whether to run too or to see what was after her. Then, I saw a young man running towards me, wearing dirty yellow sports shorts, shirtless. Since he didn't carry anything I might consider dangerous, I waited for him, but he kept shouting for me to give chase. When he got to me, he told me she stole something from him.

I began to run after her. After about 15 seconds, the young man stopped running, realising that she had escaped. I caught up with her at a clearing bothering farms and I asked her to return what she stole. She showed me her torn pinafore and told me that the guy and his friends wanted to rape her. I got the name of the guy and asked my cousin about him. My cousin told me that the guy was a hardened criminal, known by all police officers in our town as a serial law-breaker. He was rumoured to have served time for some misdemeanor or felony.

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A few years later, someone posted this guy's picture in police uniform. I was shocked. I asked if it's real, I learnt that the guy and three of his friends that terrorised that area through which I go to school had joined the Police Force. I had more questions than answers.

How can someone who has attempted rape (and that's me being unbiased since I didn't confirm the other stories I heard) able to join a law enforcement agency? Does the Police carry out background checks on potential officers before they are allowed into training? Or is the muscles of the big politicians too big that anybody that has limbs can join the force, provided that they have political backing, as it was the case with that guy and his friends? Yes, I heard that a chief begged a honourable to help take them off the streets. But is the best place to take them to the police?

Little wonder we complain daily about incompetent and abusive police people all over the place. You cannot take a criminal, not rehabilitate him and them give him a gun to prowl around town. He will see himself as a hunter, and law abiding citizens his prey.

Me wondering.

So one thing I'll change is the requirement for recruitment into the Police Force. It must be merit based and only mostly university graduates should be in the force.