Noted, with thanks

THE public is very quick to react to reports of misconduct or apathy on the part of police, and rightly so.

As public servants paid by our tax contributions, and as holding positions of great trust and responsibility, they have a duty to perform on behalf of all citizens.

When they do make mistakes, or fail to act timeously, their errors and omissions are glaringly obvious.

It is a cruel maxim of life that faults are magnified while good deeds seem to go undetected.

The fact is, the painstaking drudgery and routine that occupies most of a policeman’s day is hardly the stuff of headlines.

And few members of the public would have insight into the long hours, personal sacrifice and even life-threatening situations those of the ‘thin blue line’ experience in the course of duty.

We may read, for example, of the arrest and conviction of a wanted felon; without knowing about the days spent tracing the perpetrator’s movements and known contacts, followed by a stakeout – sometimes lasting many days – before the chance to pounce presents itself.

Against the immense crime statistics the nation faces, these small victories seem to hardly make a dent, but the fact is: justice was done, some victim will feel a whole lot safer and society will sleep just a little better.

This newspaper is always proud to publish police successes, to show there are still many hard-working cops who take their jobs seriously and to make the point that the bad guys don’t always get away with it, and crime does not always pay.

Such reports also speak on the courage of victims and witnesses, and the efficacy of prosecutors and the judicial system as a whole.

There were two such small triumphs in the past few days.

One was the arrest of a drug merchant manufacturing crack cocaine in an Arboretum kitchen, after his failed attempt to flush the dope down the toilet.

Another was the eviction of illegal tenants from a rat-infested building in the CBD, where the literal filth and electrical dangers were more than matched by the report of drug dealings, prostitution and illegal immigrant occupancy.

Well done to all those involved.

It does not rid us of all the bad elements in town, but each win surely makes a difference.