the police or are they just the real criminals

I have referred to below many thoughts I have recently had on those who have been given the task of upholding the law of the land, instead abusing the trust they have been given.

I note below another two instances that happened yesterday and today. My driver Amila was stopped yesterday about 4pm on a lonely, straight stretch of the road past Habarana on the way to Dambulla at a speed of 66 kmph. Those who know the road will honestly tell me that no vehicle keeps to the 60kmph limit there and doing 66 is probably the slowest any vehicle goes at that stretch.

There were 5 traffic policeman, one to use the radar gun, another to write one ticket, another to sign the ticket and two others just to waste government time and money and get paid. The officer who stopped him, seeing two vehicles racing at over 130kmph may have been so embarrased to write him a ticket showing the speed he was doing, took the easy route and told the person to say he was overtaking unlawfully where the fine is 500/- instead of a 1000/- for speeding no matter what the speed. Amila who was too incredulous to even see the 66 on the radar detector was too disgusted to even speak to the man in filth that he kept quiet during the whole proceeding so there was no provocation to get the cop to break the law into changing a speeding ticket to an overtaking ticket just for him to face save from his colleagues and the rest of society to be so cussed.

So there is a true story of an unprovoked action of our officers who should be protecting the motorists and pedesrians from dangerous drivers of whom there are numerous numbers in this country, just choosing the easy option of catching motorists for thier convenience on not out of protecting the public.

The other incident was this morning when we Amila and I left Godagama with 550 King Coconuts to fill our orders, stopping us at a check point between Godagama and Athurugiriya and asking for 4 King Coconuts. He offered to pay, but does he not get it. We cut to orders, and no excesses for the police. We have a job to do and life to lead and farmers and distributors. They have a job to do as upholders of the law and to protect the public from all comers. It is shameful to stop us just for that purpose and not to check our identity. They see us on this route twice a week every week and should they make it a habit, is it fair.

Those in power and the higher ups just dont know those who have to face the actions of their subordinates, and the inconvenience the general public face from the police instead of the service they should render to us the law abiding hardworking honest living people of the land.