I had such a pleasant experience at the Athlone Police Station recently, that I feel compelled to tell you about it.
And it’s important, because we often get overwhelmed by stories of negative experiences with police officers.
Needing to have a document certified, I made my way to the police station, half prepared for it to take longer than it should.
I braced myself and approached the counter, where two officers were involved in some friendly banter, fully expecting to be ignored for a while.
Less than 90 seconds later, I was on my merry way again.
At that time, a certain Sgt Melicia Abrahams was so effortlessly pleasant that I was tempted to just hang around and chat with her.
For example, when I asked her how she was doing, she responded with: “All the better for seeing you, sir. How can I help you?”
And then she went on to joke about how the previous client had asked for “a David,” when they actually wanted an affidavit.
We had a good laugh and I thanked her for the excellent service and asked for her name.
It was by far one of the most pleasant interactions I have ever had with any stranger providing me with a service, never mind a police officer.
And it’s an important story, because it reminds me that police officers are just ordinary human beings with all the flaws and issues that the rest of us have.
And that means that sometimes they get it wrong. But boy it’s such a wonderful surprise when they get it right.