The 111 Files: No silver bullet for society's ills

Overcoming conflict and antisocial behaviour in society presents challenges but at the same time brings out the best in us.

In September 1951 a journalist working for The Bedford Gazette (a small town newspaper in Pennsylvania, USA) used a phrase that would quickly become world famous: "There is no silver bullet."

Over the years this phrase has become a commonly used expression to affirm what most of us know: there is no simple, instantaneous, effective solution for life's difficult problems - as much as we wish there was. Every parent knows the pain of hearing a child's heartbreak over an injustice and wished they had a magic wand to wave and take the pain away.

Similarly, many of us long for a quiet, peaceful life.

I'm afraid it's a fantasy. But the good news is this: challenges, hardships and adventures are what brings out the best in us.

A few months ago someone challenged my thinking on that very point.

"Put it this way", they said. "Who would want to watch a movie about someone sitting around having a quiet peaceful life? No one. It would be the most boring movie ever.

"The essence of a good story is also the essence of a great life - a character who knows what they want and is willing to overcome conflict to get it."

If you think about it, it's true. From Saving Private Ryan to Star Wars; Finding Nemo to The Lord of the Rings - all of those movies have that same common plot-line; characters who know what they want and are willing to overcome conflict to get it.

Last week I had a conversation with one of Rotorua's most experienced frontline police officers. She's awesome. When I asked her how her week was going she told me how she was feeling impacted by a really difficult family violence case.

The women involved had suffered some horrific injuries, but was refusing to talk to the police about what had occurred.

The case is not only an absolute tragedy, but also has some very disturbing features. Even the woman's own family are refusing to help her, and have obstructed the police investigation.

Sadly, there is no "silver bullet" for complex, inter-generational dysfunction in families that have been traumatised by the evil that is family violence.

Penetrating the code of silence that is being enforced within that particular family is going to be a challenge.

But we are going to get there because the Rotorua police is full of great characters who have an extraordinary commitment to making this community safer; and are willing to overcome conflict to achieve that goal.

Over the last few weeks I have been writing about the things we need to do if we want to strengthen our community.

One of them is good leadership; and we won't be able to fix the problem of family violence without it.

You can exercise leadership by following the example of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

"I promised never to be silent. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.

"Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." -Inspector Bruce Horne is the Rotorua police area commander.