THERE is no doubt that the case of Constable Matt Butcher has ignited passions and outrage in our community and has galvanised public opinion in ways not often seen.
While the debate rages over mandatory prison terms for people who assault public officers, it is important that we also turn our minds to the reason that we have to resort to such punishments.
There is a growing loss of respect and an increasing level of selfishness in our communities and you need not look much further than driver behaviour to get first hand evidence of this.
The lack of courtesy and consideration for others on our roads and the increasingly “competitive” nature of drivers is at best making driving unpleasant and at worst creating dangerous situations.
It seems we are beset with a new generation of drivers who have either never been taught tolerance or simply choose not to show it.
They seem to make no allowance for the age, skill level or competence of other people they share the road with and they are hell bent on making sure that everyone knows it.
These drivers are unable to resist their natural desire to seek revenge on those who impede their progress, for whatever reason.
It seems like there is a whole generation of drivers out there who have taken it upon themselves to “educate” others by making it clear that they will not be inconvenienced.
Police can “do their bit” and prosecute drivers where offences are committed but it will not solve the problem.
I fear that the lack or respect for authority so recently the subject of media headlines is only a small part of the total problem of lack of respect for others in our communities.
This will take a lot of fixing and will require an enormous amount of work with our younger people.
We can look forward to a lot more unpleasant driving experiences as Perth traffic becomes increasingly heavier unless we are collectively able to change the attitudes of many of our drivers.