POLICING is his life, metro officer Samuel Felix readily admits. He was recently awarded for his bravery at a national ceremony.

Samuel Felix is motivated by a desire to make a change

HE is at once restless and calm - first leaning forward to emphasise a point, his hands used as exclamation marks; then he falls back into an easy repose.

He speaks freely and openly. In dangerous situations, he has no fear, he admits. "At that moment, your training takes over."

Samuel Felix, a Johannesburg metro police officer, holds up his Hero Award and pulls out a half-smile. His head is clean-shaven, just a dusting of black stubble on his upper lip. There is no square jaw to emphasise his determination and commitment.

But it shines through in everything he does, everything he says.

"I was a policeman from my schooldays. I always looked after everyone. I was the one who reported crime." His gun is his only accessory.

Bravery
On 21 May, Felix received an award for bravery at the national Road Traffic Management Corporation prize giving in Bloemfontein. It was the first event of its kind to be held in South Africa, where the work done by municipal law enforcement departments and agencies was acknowledged and rewarded.

To earn his award, Felix had saved a colleague who was attempting to commit suicide: it could not have been that dangerous, then, one would think. But the person was anxious and irrational; spectators and other police officers had gathered around, apparently unable to stop someone else's moment of insanity.

Felix knew he had to jump in. He waited for the right moment, noting that the man was tiring. Then, when he shifted his weight, Felix was there to grab the gun out of his hand. "Sometimes you get pulled into things without planning to."

His colleague has since received counselling and is back at work.

Loving law
Eager to learn, Felix tried different career choices after school; but he always had a hankering for law enforcement. "I wanted to find out what law enforcement does and what I could do." And in 2005 he joined the Johannesburg metropolitan police department.

It was a homecoming. He graduated from the police academy with top academic colours.

He is motivated by a love for humanity and a desire to make a change. "[As a cop] you have to care for other people."

At home Felix plays cops and robbers with his little son - the apple did not fall very far from the tree. On Sundays, his son loads his water pistol before slipping it into the back of his pants, ready to attend church. Dad accessorises in much the same manner.

Felix and his family are deeply religious. His three years in the force comes with a lot of gratitude and faith, he admits.

But he struggles to relax. "[As an officer] you have a completely different approach to life." You are never just a bystander; even on your days off, you are still on duty. "The only time I relax is when I cut my hair," Felix laughs heartily at his own silliness, his mind as open as his face. He's not going to need a cut soon.

Grounded
From a young age he realised that in life you are on your own. His mother died young, leaving him and his four siblings to battle it out. He became streetwise, a survivor. But he also became an incredible grounded person.

"If you are nominated to fulfil a certain role in society, you must do it fully. If it is to be a neighbour, be the best. If it is to be a friend, be the best." Felix relies heavily on his friends and wife to off-load the bad stuff. He killed his first criminal a while back. It was tough for him, he admits frankly.

"The ‘skollie' [scoundrel] had made the wrong choices in life and I had to stop him." That's why he makes his choices carefully.

His next aim is to become a sergeant. He wants to learn more, especially about the relationship between the legal system and policing. One day he hopes to close the divide between what cops do and what magistrates do - and to get there he is studying police law.

But his heart will always remain with policing, a job he describes as "pure".

"I firmly believe that crime will one day be non-existent in South Africa."

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