Such sentiments do as much of a disservice to human rights and accountability – and the growing number of victims of state violence – as do the government's denials and obfuscation in responding to such claims.
Graham claims that use of the word "brutality" is "unnecessary" and "unhelpful" to our society, that it is responsible for negative perceptions of the police.
How best, then, would he define the police's increasingly violent interactions with the public – the murder of Andries Tatane, the Marikana mine massacre and the torture of Emido Macia? Overzealous? Proactive? In order to conquer this monster, we need to call it by its name.
Graham's view is that the post-apartheid restructuring and repackaging of the police should have cleansed all negativity from the eyes of the public. This overlooks the fact that many of the worst perpetrators of state repression in the apartheid era still lurk within the police service, assimilated but not reconciled to their new role of serving and protecting all South African citizens.
The remilitarisation of the police "service" into a "force" leads to potential abuses of power in an institution that is already racked by corruption and political interference.
Graham is clearly a proponent of the "few bad apples" syndrome. He obviously lacks experience of communities parasitised or terrorised by a police "service" that has become an occupying force. This attitude is often voiced by middle-class whites who did not experience the violence of repression but retain an almost pathological fear of confrontation with arms of state power.
State-sanctioned abuse of power divides communities, undermines the rule of law and hastens the demise of our democracy.
Not all police officers are brutal monsters, obviously: many serve with dedication and integrity. But attempts such as Graham's to put a positive spin on endemic disservice renders these responsible officers' efforts meaningless, while serving to entrench the sense of impunity enjoyed by an increasing number of police members who do contravene the law.
Lack of accountability, combined with use of deadly force, is what engenders fear of the police in our society – not our discussion of such issues. If such brutal actions are not exposed and strongly condemned, this culture of fear will permeate every aspect of our lives, just as it did during the repressive years of the apartheid regime. Our constitutional democracy will cease to exist and South Africa will revert to being a police state.
It is the duty of the media to hold up a mirror to our society. If you don't like what you see, Mr Graham, then do something about it. – Vanessa Burger, chairperson, Umbilo Action Group