Ian Levers, President of the Queensland Police Union, has admitted striking people on duty. When provoked.
Mine Host, on occasion a fierce critic of Qld Police, no admirer of their ethos, and a regular objector to many of Mr. Levers' statements, is here in full agreement with Mr. Levers.
The average Qld Police uniformed officer has, in Mine Host's opinion, exhibited commendable self-restraint when provoked, to the point they are compromising themselves.
Some of the spitting, sneering, invading personal space, etc that Mine Host has seen dished out to officers who are doing nothing more than walking the beat, should have resulted in a clobbering.
Most, nay all, cheek shown to police officers would not be exhibited toward any other two fit young men. Were the same two officers copping abuse etc be not in a police uniform, but a t-shirt, they'd get very little cheek.
One only has to see how little cheek is given to, say, bikies to comprehend the difference.
The police should have respect. When they fail to react in the face of intense provocation, they are exhibiting weakness (in the eyes of those insulting them.)
Mine Host believes the coppers should, when spat at, or insulted, get those nightsticks out and use them, and use them properly.
If giving curry to a copper resulted in the same scale of flogging that one would receive from a woodchopper or shearer, then there'd be a whole lot more respect for the police. And a whole lot more listening when they speak.
Mine Host cannot fathom why the police don't belt people who actually ask for it.
