VIDEO: Florida police station commander always expects the unexpected

If he is not indulging himself with watching FBI shows on TV, then he is out fighting crime and heavily investing himself in his community.

South African Police Service (Saps) Florida police station commander Colonel Amos Tsotetsi, 52, describes himself as a humble man from humble beginnings.

He grew up in Maboloka, Brits, in North West.

“I come from a family of seven and my parents are still alive. But unfortunately, we recently lost my sister,” he says.

Ironically it was when he was still staying with his sister in Naledi, Soweto, that he joined the police service, by chance in 1991.

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“I still remember that day vividly. I was looking for a job around Nancefield next to Eldorado Park,” he says.

“There were several companies around there and I was trying to target a recycling firm. I was walking as there were no taxis at that time.”

He says as he was walking he saw a tap along Indaba drive in Protea on his left. This is where the Johannesburg district office is located now.

“I decided to drink some water on a tap and when I was done – as I stood up, a police officer was right next to me and said: ‘You are wasting my time, go to the queue.’

“When I explained that I am trying to look for a job, he insisted and said: ‘You are wasting my time, go to the queue now!’ And that was how I ended up in Saps.”

According to Tsotetsi, this is why he always says that being a police officer is a calling for him. “This is why I do the job with love and passion,” he says.

During his 32 years of service, Tsotetsi says he experienced some challenges after he joined the force.

“At the time, if people knew you were a police officer, you would be called a snitch. I couldn’t even tell my sister but I only told her once I arrived in Cape Town for training that I am part of the Saps and I would be returning soon to serve my community,” he recalls.

Tsotetsi says in the beginning of his training, he was the youngest and shortest in the group, but he would enjoy the pleasures of being the youngest.

“Every morning, I would have to collect tea in a large urn and because I was smaller than the person carrying on the other side, the tea would spill on me,” he says.

“But the team looked after me. In other instances, I would be helped with ironing my uniforms. I also didn’t get punished while the older guys would be punished more.

“During lunch, I would hardly spend my money and some would let me skip the queue because of my tiny frame.”

Tsotetsi says there were a number of activities they would embark on like studying which he enjoyed.

But when they started training for the first time, he was left shaking.

“The thought of carrying a gun traumatised me,” he says.

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Over time, Tsotetsi says he began to be comfortable dealing with police matters concerning the community and crime.

“In the past, one could say it was skop en donder with the approach to crime, but now it is better,” he says.

“When you look at gender-based violence, for example, in the past women and children could not report these incidences but now they report and police can assist in dealing with the cases.”

He says in the past there was not much information on such cases, hence the ignorance.

Police were then given more training on first responder, sexual offences, family violence units and victim empowerment cases.

Touching on his family, Tsotetsi says it was not easy for his family to accept his career choice of becoming a police officer.

“My wife was initially not comfortable until she realised that there was nothing she could do,” says the father of four.

“When I was named the commander of the year for 2008-09, she realised the love I have for my job and chose to support me.”

Tsotetsi says even his son wants to become a police officer when he grows up.

“This shows that I am a role model even to him. And all I want more is to be a role model to others as well,” he says.

That’s why Tsotetsi feels there was not much being done for the youth, which made them to be discouraged about leading a normal life.

“We are not focusing on helping the youth and this makes them to go astray,” he says. Tsotetsi says the youth should be involved in crime prevention initiatives to make them busy.

“There is more to working within the Saps. The youth can get involved and it is important they know and feel free to inquire on what they can do,” he says.

He says he would like the authorities to change recruitment regulations so that the admission age should be lowered.

“In Saps, there is the succession, retention and exit plan. I would like the Saps to have youth from perhaps Grades 10, 11 and 12, so the youth always learn and know that to be in the Saps it is not about money, but to serve the community,” he says.

“If we can instill that from a younger age, then we could do well in fighting crime.”

How does Tsotetsi ensure he does not lose himself with all the struggles and challenges that come with the job?

He says it’s always expecting the unexpected.

“Because I have taken this work as a calling, I know anything can happen and I deal with things head-on and wholeheartedly,” he says.

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