Gathering experiences

Take the plunge!

When my younger brother asked me if I would like to join the Police reservists, I thought he was mad. I then thought, 'well it would be interesting maybe just to do the charge office training so as to better understand the basics of taking statements, how crimes are recorded and maybe to be of service to the community.' Of course the reservists we met were a very varied bunch coming from a whole host of backgrounds. Our branch commander was more than delighted to welcome two very young pricks like ourselves along with stars in our eyes and cabbage between our ears. Of course once we had done our requisite 100 hours of charge office duties, we could see the excitement of what it meant to be a reservist and signed up. The next few months involved evening training, some weekends, basic firearms course (after which we could start carrying) and accompanying older reservists out on the road.

The whole experience gave my poor parents a complete nightmare! I mean this was around the early 1990's and South Africa was a newly evolving fledgling democracy with one of the highest murder rates in the world. It was a violent and crime ridden environment for two rather inexperienced wet behind the ears brothers to be embarking on.
But what an amazing experience. We learnt all sort sorts of skills around firearms, high speed driving, basic combat skills of pulling over vehicles. It also developed our senses of how to deal with the public. We both became calmer people able to better to categorise our response to any situation. Over the next 7 years or so of reservist weekends we experienced all manner of ‘experiences’ that were far removed from the sheltered lifestyle we had lived in.

Some of the experiences were not pleasant, some were highly amusing and we developed a close camaraderie with many of the other policemen (both reservists and permanent). We saw dead bodies (suicide, car accidents, knife wounds and gunshot wounds), helped out at countless housebreaking incidents and accidents and even made a few arrests.

Now I don’t glamorise violence, but I do believe that young people need to get a certain alternate experience to that which they exist in. Military service is one such way! Alternatively I would advocate join the coast guard, the RNLI, an active engaged charity, wildlife ranger course. Just get involved and do something ...you are only young once....