The 10 meter Long Arm of the Law
I just had to share this with someone. Lucky you, right?
Last Tuesday I observed two Policemen gleefully writing a ticket for a car that was parked across the road from the police station facing the wrong direction. I have received two tickets for two separate (unintentional) offenses in the same spot. I now park in the lot 20m away, and have enjoyed more liberty.
It seems the most enforced area in Hillcrest is within 10m of the station.
There are always cops trolling for criminals within the sacred 10m of their station. These ever-vigilant law enforcers with their fastidious penchant for detail spend hours every week incessantly issuing tickets for dastardly expired license discs, wickedly worn tires, and poorly parked vehicles.
I appreciate their dedication. My only concern is that several criminals have apparently grown savvy to this fact and therefor manage to operate *just* outside of the 10m radius of the Police’s attention, and wreak their havoc unimpeded.
Case in point: While the two officers were bringing the full force of justice (a R100 ticket) onto the windshield of the offending parked car, and facing the wrong way is an understandably grave and unforgivable offense, something equally insidious occurring 11 or so meters away seemed to escape their notice.
In fact the problem I’m referring to escaped more than their notice, he escaped a jail cell, and within seconds was comfortably outside the 10m enforced jurisdiction.
This prisoner, complete with striped jersey, somehow wiggled his way out of Police custody, jumped over the fence into our church parking lot, enigmatically left his shoes in our care, and then continued his unshod and undeterred steeplechase off into Hillcrest, as barefoot as Zola Budd.
Until a church staff member called to inform the station, the Police were unaware that said jailbird had flown the coop and charged straight passed the two eagle-eyed ticketers. Presumably he looked left and right before crossing in front of them, or they would surely have noticed the audacious act of jay walking.
Though the Police expressed gratitude for our conscientious report, I didn’t notice any conspicuous flurry of activity to apprehend the ambulant prisoner. In fact, the only visible policing that was going on, for over an hour after the report, other than our gardener who commenced pursuit on foot, was the two determined beat cops who were making sure there was no interruption of the real criminals getting their tickets.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of our first exposure to this 10m limit. After alerting the Police that our home, the manse—which borders the Police station—had been robbed, they speedily dispatched an officer who arrived in no less than eight days. Yes days. He told me that regrettably fingerprinting would not be possible, because too much time had elapsed since the crime. No kidding.
I paced the distance. Since the broken window was 11m away from the station, it was in the vulnerable district of Hillcrest. I should have kept my laptop in the bedroom which was well within policed zone.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
Here Paul reminds us that if we abide by the rules we have nothing to fear, even within reach of the 10m long arm of the law.
