TUTORIAL ASSIGNMENTNAME : YOLISWASURNAME : SONTSIMODULE : SOCIOLOGYSTUDENT NO : 20180078 In this essay I will be talking about how structure-agency debate help us to understand the attitudes towards police work and the actions of Captain Louis De Koster. Most of the police officers are corrupt not doing their job, but Louis is doing committed in doing his job. Structure is the one extreme position in the structure-agency debate whereby it is believed that a person is shaped by different elements of society such as social groups, social institutions, social stratification, social relations and culture. Agency is the other position in the structure agency debate whereby individuals have the ability to act, make choices and plan. The working conditions of the workers are not good because the police are working under dangerous conditions. They are working for long hours even though their payment is very low. They don’t have enough resources to help them do their job well.
All they focus on is paper work they never get out to scenes. There is also racism in the police station, white captains are not getting promotion even if there is a new post open the is no way that a white person can get it. Some policemen left because they couldn’t work for black government.The actions of the police officers were influenced by agency they are doing things on their free will. Most of the police officers are corrupt they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
Some of the commanders were not having experience. There was commander appointed in SANAB who had no narcotic experience Not even single day. He doesn’t even know what it is. He wouldn’t know cocaine if he was standing in it.
But he was a commander and his men were supposed to respect him, but they don’t. Other units used to work there was no space for passengers, if you couldn’t carry your dockets they got rid of you. The new commanders came and changed everything. They couldn’t work, couldn’t close cases and couldn’t testify in high court.Captain Louis De Koster is one of the few good policemen he still does his job well he chose not to be corrupt like the other police officers. It’s cold and raining but he is busy looking for criminals.
He used to like his job and used to be committed in doing his job properly, but the commitment is not there anymore. He started to be police at the age of 19, he was proud because he was doing something for the country. He feels like he is not welcomed in the police station anymore. He still wants to help people but the pride of being a police is gone. Even the people in the community don’t trust the police anymore when you tell someone you are a police they think you are corrupt and you are useless to find another job. Louis said that the organisation was falling but he was out on the street busy looking for criminals who robbed and killed 2 people. Even though the Commanders are not doing real work, No one in the community wants give evidence he still does his job.
There are also good commanders but all they do is to focus on paper work not get out to scenes. The station can even go for weeks without arresting criminals. Structure-agency debate indeed does help us to understand the attitudes towards police work and the actions of Captain Louis De Koster.
Structure-agency debate gave us an understanding to the attitude towards police work. The police are corrupt not doing their job, but Louis De Koster is still doing what is right. He still wants to help people not to do what the other commanders are doing.
REFERENCEAltbeker’s (2005) The Dirty Work of DemocracyJonathan Ball (2005: 166-177)s
