Career policeman Lt-Col Stephen calls it a day

One can still hear the passion for policing in his voice although it has been nearly a month since Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Stephen (56) retired from the service after 36 years and 142 days on the job.

“I left with mixed feelings. I loved being a policeman and I will miss it, but it will always remain in my blood,” he said.

Initially Lt-Col Stephen had no plans to join the police, instead he was studying public health.

But a cousin who was a policeman inspired him to join the men and women in blue.

“He talked about the job and it triggered something in me. He was the catalyst.”

In 1984, he completed his training at Wentworth where he also walked off with the ‘Best Pistol Shottist’ award.

“My training gave me the platform to be honest, compassionate and passionate about my work.”

Lt-Col Stephen started and ended his career at Port Shepstone Saps. His first posting was at the Community Service Centre (CSC) as a patrol van driver.

Through the years, he moved to various departments and also up the ranks.

He held posts at the enquiry branch, detective services, commanding officer at the CSC, head of the Community Policing Forum department and commander of the Crime Prevention Unit until retirement.

One of the highlights of his career was Port Shepstone Saps being awarded ‘Best Station – Project Lifeline in 1997’ in the country

“During that project, an American company came to South Africa to upgrade policing. They conducted training, assessments and analysis. I was a team leader, and they gave us the tools to operate efficiently and also boosted morale.”

Through the years and with team work, the station has garnered a number of awards.

Some of these are: Best Station – National Excellence Awards 2018; first place – Best Station – Provincial Excellence Awards 2017; Best Urban Station – 2017 Mayoral Awards; first place – Best Crime Prevention in KZN 2016 – KZN MEC Awards; first place nationally – Crime Prevention 2015/2016.

Lt-Col Stephen has attended hundreds of crime scenes – shootings, accidents, taxi violence, suicides and much more, sometimes up to three cases in a day.

However, he recalled two cases that are etched in his memory, one being the death of his colleague Warrant Officer Dave Anderson.

“He was posted along with his team in a high crime zone in Murchison. On their way to Port Shepstone they spotted a suspected stolen vehicle which they radioed in to confirm its registration.”

While still awaiting the confirmation, the vehicle stopped at ‘Confusion Junction’ in Port Shepstone.

When W/O Anderson stepped out of his patrol vehicle, shots were fired at him and his three colleagues by the occupants of the stolen vehicle.

“He was shot and died at Hibiscus Hospital. I had to break the difficult news to his wife and daughters. He was one of my best field officers who had arrested numerous hardened criminals.”

The second case involved a seven-year-old who died while pulling sugarcane off a moving truck. The child’s clothes hooked on the truck and all 18 wheels went over him.

The case became more tragic when the child’s mother, a nurse, arrived at the scene in an ambulance as an emergency responder and she recognised his shoes.

Lt-Col Stephen said his Christian background, support of colleagues, family and friends helped him cope with the demands and emotional aspects of the job.

He advised those intending to join the police to do it for the right reasons. “You are either born a policeman or not.”

Now that he has more free time, he intends to spend it with family, get involved in community projects and take up fishing.

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