Cirrus@Austlit

Stephen goes into town by himself without permission and becomes lost. A friendly old man offers to take him to a policeman, which upsets Stephen as he has always been afraid of the police. The policeman, however, is very kind to him and phones Stephen's mother to pick him up. While he is waiting at the police station, the policeman tells Stephen all about his job, and lets him know that policemen are his friends if he does the right thing, and that he should only be afraid of them if he breaks the law. The policeman then explains that the role of the police is four-fold: 'to protect life and property, to keep the peace, to stop crime, and to find and bring to justice people who commit crimes'. He goes on to say that police often end up doing other things, such as helping lost children. Stephen tells the policeman that he is not afraid anymore. When Stephen's mother comes to get him, the policeman tells her what a good boy Stephen has been and she stops being angry with him.