Hello! Officer
Many Californian travellers are warned against driving in Mexico. Mexican Police is notorious for stopping tourists for no reason, which creates necessity or opportunity for bribery.
So I wasn't very surprised by how often Tanzanian Police stops vehicles by the roadside. Atty and Hens are Dutch doctors who set up a day-care center to help disabled children in Tanzania. On one of their trips they were stopped 5 times by different policemen during the one-hour ride. Each time, they refused to pay any bribery. Eventually, Hens, who was driving the car at the time,ended up in the police station. He could have faced jail time (for doing nothing wrong) but was able to avoid it at the end, thanks to his connection with someone high up in the police.
I rode with Lema frequently. Needless to say, we were stopped by the police many times. I was amazed how he always managed to walk away without having to pay any bribery which he also believes was wrong. Each time he put up a big smile and never gave up trying to reason with the policeman. He never fluttered in front of them. I guess most were impressed by this demeanor. But there was one time that I thought we were never going to get off the hook this time. We were driving at night to the rural village. The policeman who was probably in a foul mood stopped us and was taking it out on us. He said, "Do you think I enjoyed working in the cold night while my wife sleeps with other men?". He seemed determined to find someone to pay for his misery. When his superior cruised by in his jeep, he held back but as soon as the car was gone, he continued to gripe. It went on and on for maybe 15 minutes. When Lema got back in the car, I was surprise to learn that we were free to go.
So I learned a few things from Lema. When I had my first encounter with the police, I was ready. One early morning, I was rushing to catch a bus to Mbulu. Some policemen were already "waiting" by the roadside. When we were stopped by the police, I thought I was going to miss my bus. Instinctively, I put on my best smile for the police who was suprised to see a foreigner in the car. "Good morning, Officer!!!!" "How are you this morning?!" I tried all my efforts to be pleasant and to charm him. I held out my hand for a friendly handshake. The policeman, still a bit shocked, soon eased up and returned the friendly guesture. "Where are you heading?" he asked. "I am going to Mbulu.... And I think I am running late for my bus!" pointing to my watch but still with a big smile. We were let go just like that! I was so very happy with how it was handled. "Yahoo!" I shouted as we sped up for the bus station.
So I wasn't very surprised by how often Tanzanian Police stops vehicles by the roadside. Atty and Hens are Dutch doctors who set up a day-care center to help disabled children in Tanzania. On one of their trips they were stopped 5 times by different policemen during the one-hour ride. Each time, they refused to pay any bribery. Eventually, Hens, who was driving the car at the time,ended up in the police station. He could have faced jail time (for doing nothing wrong) but was able to avoid it at the end, thanks to his connection with someone high up in the police.
I rode with Lema frequently. Needless to say, we were stopped by the police many times. I was amazed how he always managed to walk away without having to pay any bribery which he also believes was wrong. Each time he put up a big smile and never gave up trying to reason with the policeman. He never fluttered in front of them. I guess most were impressed by this demeanor. But there was one time that I thought we were never going to get off the hook this time. We were driving at night to the rural village. The policeman who was probably in a foul mood stopped us and was taking it out on us. He said, "Do you think I enjoyed working in the cold night while my wife sleeps with other men?". He seemed determined to find someone to pay for his misery. When his superior cruised by in his jeep, he held back but as soon as the car was gone, he continued to gripe. It went on and on for maybe 15 minutes. When Lema got back in the car, I was surprise to learn that we were free to go.
So I learned a few things from Lema. When I had my first encounter with the police, I was ready. One early morning, I was rushing to catch a bus to Mbulu. Some policemen were already "waiting" by the roadside. When we were stopped by the police, I thought I was going to miss my bus. Instinctively, I put on my best smile for the police who was suprised to see a foreigner in the car. "Good morning, Officer!!!!" "How are you this morning?!" I tried all my efforts to be pleasant and to charm him. I held out my hand for a friendly handshake. The policeman, still a bit shocked, soon eased up and returned the friendly guesture. "Where are you heading?" he asked. "I am going to Mbulu.... And I think I am running late for my bus!" pointing to my watch but still with a big smile. We were let go just like that! I was so very happy with how it was handled. "Yahoo!" I shouted as we sped up for the bus station.
posted by Nancy at 4:36 AM
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