Keeping the community safe from itself is a thankless job.
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We can all remember a time when we’ve been annoyed that the police pulled us over for a random breath test, or we thought doing a few extra kilometres over the limit was a wise idea (it isn’t).
There’s other times though when the appearance of a police officer is a welcome sight, whether we’re the victim of a robbery, assault or need help.
It’s what makes the Rotary’s Police Officer of the Year awards, supported by local businesses, so important.
It gives us a chance to recognise the police officers who work hard in service of the community.
Ceremonies have been held right across the country in towns and cities to recognise those who have made outstanding contributions to those communities.
Moments of selfless bravery, heroic acts, commitment to the community, it all often goes unnoticed and it’s why it’s so important that not only officers but the community stops and reflects for ceremonies like this one.
Of course, many of the award recipients were not able to attend the ceremony because they were on duty.
It might be because they were patrolling the streets of Wagga or one of the many other towns in the Riverina or MIA because it’s not your regular nine-to-five gig.
And when they do turn up to work, there’s no telling what they might be called to or who they need to help.
While we’re taking the time to enjoy ourselves, police officers are out there, whether it’s Christmas Day, Australia Day or Tuesday.
There’s sacrifices made by the people who do the job which we don’t understand and rarely know about.
It’s unlikely that police officers do their job for the money.
It is a drive to help people and contribute to their community that keeps them coming back on shift work rosters often into situations unknown.
Some might argue there’s no need for awards when people still get paid for the time they spend working – but that ignores the fact that policing is unique (other than the army, there are very few other professions where people can legally carry guns, for instance), and the fact that sometimes saying thank you can be worth more to someone than all the money in the world.