December 1999 Volume 80 Number 12 "serving the protectors"
That Foreboding Kiss
By Chris Beal

have had the privilege of being a police chaplain for almost seven years. In that time, as an observer and supporter of police work, I have noticed a distinct increase in the dangerous nature of our society. Police officers work as our paid representatives, and therefore deserve the wider community’s support and understanding.

When I first became a chaplain I was advised by a senior police officer to go out on patrol a few times on both day and night shifts in order to better understand the realities of police life. I well remember the first night patrol I accompanied. I left home at 7:30pm to walk down to the LSA. My wife kissed me goodbye.

When I got out of my driveway and onto the footpath I shivered as I realized she had said goodbye in a way that indicated she thought I might not come home that night. When I told this to an experienced patrol sergeant some time later he said: “My wife has kissed me goodbye like that every shift for 20 years.” I shivered again, but this time for him, not for me.

The longer I’m involved as a chaplain, the more respect I have for front-line police. They do a job where there are long periods of tedium and routine, punctuated by moments of extreme pressure and danger. Split-second decisions must be made; decisions that can later be analyzed for hours and weeks by lawyers and others in a much less dangerous and less pressured environment.

I now no longer sit down to dinner on a Friday or Saturday night without thinking for a moment of that team or patrol that may be out there attending to a very difficult situation. Whenever I hear a siren I think of the person behind the wheel of that car, or at the other end of that radio.

It irritates me then, when I see these people I think of, buffeted by the media, courts, the government, and the public, not to mention criminals. The community should be doing all it can to make their task as easy as possible.

A fellow clergyman - who has had major tragedy in his life recently - said to me: “Life is a daily walk of faith. You just have to trust in God, yourself, and those you love, and walk into the future.” As chaplains we try in some small way to accompany our police on that walk.

SA Police Chaplains

Welfare Section 58	David Marr -- 8364 3567
	Senior Police Chaplain.
Academy 8	Mark Thomas --8296 9616
Adelaide: Angas Street 158	Bruce Grindlay -- 8295 2220
Adelaide: Hindley Street 62	Bruce Grindlay -- 8295 2220
Adelaide Hills Division 54	Adrian Stephens-- 8398 2510
	-----Office: 8398 2517
Berri 212	Vacant
Ceduna 214	Bob Borgas -- 086 253 503
Christies Beach 20	Vacant
Clare 202	Michael Dutschke -- 088 423 681
Communications 172	David Hand -- 8295 6992
Elizabeth 52	Stephen Brooks-- 041 884 0739
Far North 210	Tony Redden -- 08 8672 5011
Focus 21	Richard Lawton -- 08 8362 4936
Gawler 52	Brian Tscharke -- 085 222 288
Glenelg 22	Malcolm Thomas -- 8377 0772
Henley Beach 18	Brenton Daulby -- 8443 8286
Holden Hill 44	Tony Swansson -- 8258 8951
	Rod Dyson -- 8365 1170
Kadina 71	Mark Dickens -- 8823 2513
Kingston 208	Richard Dutton -- 08 8767 2590
Mount Gambier 208	Brian Ashworth --(w) 087 231 353 -- (h) 087 252 537
Murray Bridge 200	Malcolm Bottrill -- 085 325 536
Naracoorte 208	Bruce Cliff -- 8737 2457 -- 0417 811 702
Norwood 60	Vacant
Nuriootpa 204	Andy Kowald -- 085 621 011
Plympton 14	Ian Dempsey -- 8210 8108
Port Adelaide 6	Jeff Oake-- 8341 5930
Port Pirie 206	Vacant
Prosecution Services 176	Vacant
Port Augusta PS 210	Shirley James -- 0886 410 146
Port Lincoln 214	Rob Packer -- 0886 830 302
Salisbury 53	Vacant
South East	Terry Natt -- 8571 1114
Sturt 12	Chris Beal -- 8278 9578
Tea Tree Gully 48	Bob George -- 8395 9363
Thebarton Barracks 32	Joe Grealy -- 8338 3225
Transit Division	Wayne Shepherd -- 8443 4895
Unley 28	Max Bowers -- 8272 8324
Whyalla 218	John Dunkley -- 0886 452 500

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