A former British South Africa Police (BSAP) member and now the BSAP Regimental Association of Transvaal chairperson, Mr Dave Holmes from Kensington, remembers his time on the streets of Rhodesia like it was yesterday.
Mr Holmes was 18 when he joined the police.
“We did not carry any weapons. We only had a baton, pen and a notebook. We were trained to be fair and firm. We respected our communities and the communities respected us. There was also less violence during that time,” he said.
He added that he avoided promotions so that he could continue patrolling the streets and being close to the community.
“I avoided promotion so that I could spent more time in the patrol car. I enjoyed being a policeman. There were some dangerous situations, but I loved working with the community. Maybe its because there was so little violence then,” he said.
Mr Holmes recalled one incident which placed him in danger, even though no firearm was involved.
“My colleague and I were on the 26th floor of a building, holding onto a suicide jumper’s legs. We were trying to stop him from jumping. I was so terrified and I though he could take us with him and kill us all. The fact that I am scared of heights did not help either. I saw my cap flying down and I became more scared,” said Mr Holmes.
The man was eventually retrieved and his life was saved.
“When we pulled him up he was already unconscious. We handcuffed him while we waited for the doctor to sedate him. We were scared he would try to fight us or try to jump again,” said Mr Holmes.
Mr Holmes added that he was happy a life was saved.
The community they were serving was so united that sometimes it was hard to arrest speeding drivers.
“We would set up speed traps and we would catch no one. The community warned each other, saying the ‘grey shark’, which was our patrol vehicle, was in the area,” said Mr Holmes.
According to Mr Holmes, the BSAP was one of the best police forces in the world.
“We were neat. Always wore the full uniform wherever we were. We were also taught to be fair when serving. That is one of the things I will carry until the end,” he said.
For more information on the BSAP Regimental Association of Transvaal, log onto the website www.bsap.org or call Mr Holmes on 083 253 2194.
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