‘TO PROTECT AND SERVE’?

Sir,

I wrote this letter to touch base with the police traffic department in regards to the manner they execute their duties, which I can term as very harassing and intimidating to the citizenry.

With all due respect of the law and civil liberties; may I first and foremost highlight that ‘a police service slogan’, which is internationally inclined, in essence, is ‘To Protect and Serve’, not to ‘harass and intimidate and arrest’, as practiced by our Swaziland Police Service. My basis on the latter is well witnessed by the citizenry of this country on a daily basis, especially in all the departments, the worst being the so called ‘Traffic Department’, where traffic officers harass and intimidate us as pedestrians/passengers/motorists, on a daily basis.

Let us take leaf on their modus operandi, you will never see our officers conducting the traffic control service especially in the mornings and afternoons (peak hours), that is managing the flow/control of traffic, and to be of service to us all on the roads. We have children going to school; people going to work using public transport; some driving, who are at risk on the roads due to officers not being there to execute their duties, to offer a service in that regard eg at traffic  lights, stop signs, pedestrian  crossing points etc.

A good example, go to South Africa during peak hours (locations, highways, town centres etc) and see how they manage traffic flow. Our officers only conduct speed traps and roadblocks at those peak times, thus frustrating and harassing us sijakele to our workplaces and children to school.

To their superiors, is it the right manner to conduct their duties at those times? The way they treat us infront of our children leaves a lot to be desired, thus I wonder as part of their training whether they have a course in human relations. Bekunene, our officers aluhlata , very bully and  disrespectful, thus infringing on our civil liberties.

Meanwhile, are our traffic officers revenue collectors? Increasing traffic fines will not serve as a deterrent to accidents, there are many factors contributing to such; too many cars on our roads, most people have learned to drive kulama Dubai, with no experience, and to echo that be on the driving seat and witness how people are driving (inexperience contributing to the negligent driving), bad roads which are a major contributory factor at hindering our vehicles not to be roadworthy.

In South Africa traffic fines are hefty but there are still accidents, thus the fines are not serving as a deterrent to the last mentioned. By increasing the fines, it would be an exploitative exercise against motorists, yet with same you will be enriching the already rich traffic officers as revenue collectors. My basis, take a drive to the police stations’ car parks, especially along the Mbabane, Matsapha and Manzini corridor and see the cars traffic officers own; top of the range stuff, most popular is the BMW 3 series. You can easily mistake the stations as BMW showrooms.

Siboniso Dlamini – uMlangeni

NOTE: In an effort to afford the Police Service the right to reply, this letter was emailed to them on August 8 2017 but unfortunately a response has not been forthcoming.
Ed

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