ON GUARD FOR LAW AND ORDER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

ON GUARD FOR LAW AND ORDER

Protectors of Peace

By MATANGA

BOMBS have lately been in the cable ntSws from London—so have policemen. This sharing of publicity is more than coincidence: jt belongs to the eternal fitness of things. Wherever lawless violence 6 hows its ugly head the famous blue uniform should be seen on guard. Behind it, nowadays, is the unrevealing S ar ' L 1 ptain-clothes man, while not far away, you may be sure, js the detective branch of the lawpreserving service, but its most obvious and familiar member is the man in blye.

On the long arm of the law ho is the hand. To him immediate action is entrusted, so fully, so effectively, that we are apt to forget the high source of his authority and to think him selfinvested with power. Maybe this instinctive regard grew out of infantile awe as some nursemaid strove to make "the policeman" an argument for our good behaviour; whatever its origin, in adult consciousness it remains a part of lii •. and to muse upon this fact is to discover a satisfying warrant for the regard. "The force" ; is the popular collective name for these men in blue, a name emanating from official usage, and for force they stand, though it be, in the final analysis., the power that rests upon the will' of a government—in a democracy, the will of an effective majority of the'people. Right, that is, depends" upon might; law is not law unless it can and does impose obedience. Thus it is at once "a terror to evildoers" and a protection of them that do well.

2*ua old writer on police administration, discussing the Greeks' use of the term "politeia," .suggests that it was meant to indicate that the "execution of those laws which make up public rights, (and) the maintenance of that civil society which is the essence of every city, were two things inseparable from each other." Be that as it may, in our derived word "police" we include a reference to both law and order —tho suppression of crime and the preservation of the peace. Difficult is it for us to imagine modern society without this form of social security. A Civil Organisation

It is different from that provided by a military establishment which is designed mainly with reference to foreign affairs and is only as a last resort employed against subversive activity within the State. Not to fight, but to

• take all needful steps to compel the keeping of the peace, 'is an essential / element- in the British view of police duty, and "the force" is in all respects a civil body. A minimum of drill, and only occasional resort to arms, is the rule; the only notable exception within the Empire has been the Royal Irish Constabulary, organised on a military footing and called upon at times for the service of soldiers;

That exception can be readily fori gotten. How different is the general / practice in British lands is emphasised rn events this week. The challenge to law and order, even to national safety, has been serious, but violent retaliation f has not happened. Slashed in the face by miscreants they questioningly

accosted on suspicion, policemen have ' not avenged themselves, but proceeded with their duty of bringing such assailants to organised justice. Even they have honoured the good principle ;hat no individual shall take the law into his own hands. This is a mark of progressive civilisation. More and more has been given up that primitive right to personal vengeance, and the creation of a police force has delegated to a few, select and expert, the protection of lives and property and other personal rights, entrusting to/ them, within a strict code of action, the power of Ihe law-abiding majority. It is a significant achievement. Much Expected Of course, t|ie institution of police is evidence of the survival of lawlessness, to some extent, from uncouth days, but iit as definitely witnesses to the emergence of a high respect for law on the part of the bulk of the community. A policeman's vocation is therefore a very high one. He is an embodiment of civilisation itself, the right hand of a majesty on high. Much is expected from the members of so responsible a body. It is not enough that they should have outstanding qualities of physique, nor even that mentally they should possess skill of a high order. These qualities are worse than useless if unaccompanied by a deep appreciation of the spirit of law and by a rationally cultured moral sense. In these respects they should be fit to take rank above the average citizen, for presumably they represent the superior level of the society they serve.

This excellence is, of course, not wholly innate, although qualities of good character are often supremely due to inheritance. A member of the celebrated metropolitan force in London said to Mr. Charles Booth, who was conducting a close investigation of its efficiency, "A policeman is not made in a day." That is perfectly true. Training *s essential; the more desirable any attribute is, the more desirable is its thorough culture. Even that fine metropolitan force has a record of mdividual failures, in spite of its .wonderful tradition. Reason For Pride They are the more noticeable on account of the generally great reputation, and they cannot be passed over lightly. For the sake of discipline, reinstatement is impossible, much as the man may desire it and sincere as sympathy with him may be. "When he fa lls, he falls like Lucifer, never to hopo again.-' It is hard, but inevitable. Returning, to Mr. Booth, his final v °rd on the qualities of that body of ®en, after a plain and full statement facts, was "We may with reason be Proud of our London police." A similar Judgment is happily possible with reference to British police everywhere, ?°twithstanding certain lamentable of defection. To recognise the exacting demands P? a de, in various ways, upon our men in blue—and upon our women in blue, it rnust bo added in these changing times—is a duty for every citizen. They reserve good treatment from tho community they serve. Long ago it was ® a fd, in a setting memorably humorous, A policeman's lot is not a, happy one." seriously, it was never meant to be. llle task cannot be wholly and Uniformly pleasant, whatever occasional compensations it may bring. Just now, J* l the circumstances reported by cable. involves personal peril and a vigilance under extreme tension.

At any moment, anywhere, a sudden emergency may arise in the day's work a policeman. Like the"c:rawfishes" in ® w ell-known story by Uncle Remus, he ?° esn 't know "what minute's gwine to e nex'," but he must be ready for it. r l "* the day's work may mean any "Our ia the twenty-four,,