HELPING THIN BLUE LINE OUT

THE police force standard line when it comes to members of the public stepping in to help the thin blue line quite rightly is to ensure your own safety is paramount.

After all, the police are trained and paid to carry out their sworn duty to protect and serve the public.

But every now and then members of the public, when circumstances call for it, dive in and act, helping police thwart would-be criminals.

One such instance occurred at the weekend in Surfers Paradise when police on motorbikes were searching and seemingly in the process of arresting a man in the party precinct.

However, he did a runner and tried to evade police who captured the dramatic chase along Ferny Ave.

A key moment came soon after the man had led multiple officers up a set of stairs where a bystander, minding his own business, sparked into action and helped police corner the attempted escapee.

Police at the scene were effusive in their praise of the man for deciding to act, with the bodycam footage showing one officer shaking his hand and telling him he is very thankful he stepped in.

Of course, while thankful, senior police afterwards have warned the public to make sure their own safety is not jeopardised when it comes to situations like this.

Police are now weighing up whether to formally acknowledge the brave actions of the man involved, who by all accounts was an unwitting tourist who happened to be in the right place at the right time ... for the police giving chase anyway.

He should be acknowledged. It takes a lot of courage to just step in and act in a situation like this when you have no real idea about the intentions of the person or people you might be confronting.

And praise should also go to the police officers not just in this instance but those who work day in and day out, often for little thanks, and are confronted regularly by unpredictable situations.

Yes it is what they are trained for and paid to do but the difficulty, unpredictability and dangers those boys and girls in blue face on a daily basis is no easy task.

Most officers are hard working and run towards the problem not away from it – and we should always be mindful of that and tip our hat to the good work they do that often goes unsung.