There is police brutality; there is the negative effect it obviously has; but are you aware of the dark side of police brutality which most people tend to overlook and rather focus on the political, and social effect it poses? In this post, we shall be discussing the dark side of police brutality that the world tends to pay less attention to.
Police brutality has remained one of the biggest proof of human rights abuse in any democratic setting, with cases rising and the curve not flattening. The first picture of the dark side of police brutality focuses on it being a ‘black problem’. Most cases of police brutality are either being meted against black people or that the cruel act is orchestrated by the police in a black-majority area like Africa against the citizens, as seen clearly in Nigeria and other African states. This goes beyond the normal case of brutality by police officials which we see on a daily basis to become more of a race issue for blacks everywhere. The fact that it appears or has been made to look like the police does not exist to benefit most black people around the world truly paints a dark side of police brutality.
The effect of police brutality on the victim is another issue people have failed to overlook which tends to have a lasting effect on the victim if he or she fails to seek the necessary help needed. We are talking about the psychological and mental effect it poses to victims of this vice. Just like rape, victims are deprived momentarily of their ability and strength to react to the oppression they face. This happens to have a serious effect on the state of mind of the victim. It goes beyond the physical injuries they may experience from the brutality to the psychological injury that most people tend to overlook when counting the negative effects of police brutality. The downside here is that the victim experiences serious PTSD issues that without necessary help, may end up making them a source of danger to themselves and to those around them.
Another dark side of police brutality is the cynicism is puts in the minds of the general public. This would make people lose trust in an establishment that has been put in place to maintain order and protect their lives and properties. No wonder people are calling for the defunding of the police system in the United States, while some are asking for complete removal of the system citing its years of continuous failure and human rights abuse. In Nigeria, most people would rather allow a crime go unnoticed than involve the police, owing to the fact that the Nigerian Police Force has continued to be a system that rather endangers the people, through massive human rights abuse and extortion, than actually solve crimes presented to it. The obvious downside of this shows a society headed for anarchy, for without order and trust between the police and the citizens, crimes will be on the rise, and the police, without the cooperation of the people, will have a hard time fighting these crimes. This will eventually lead to frustration on the side of the police and thus make the work of fighting crime a difficult or entirely hopeless one.
It goes beyond just human rights abuse; it has become one of mankind’s biggest problems. The police system across the black community will have to do more than just reform the system currently in place. Officers of the police force need to enlighten on the current issue. It is gradually becoming something totally unbearable.
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