Nat Sec Minister, CoP: Police won't condone poor customer service

The National Security Minister and the Commissioner of Police (CoP) have both condemned a now-viral audio clip of a police officer berating a victim of crime.

The 40-second clip, which circulated on Friday, apparently records an interaction between an officer at the St Joseph Police Station and an unidentified man who called the station to follow up on a report.

The recording starts with the man saying his wife called E-999 two hours earlier about a home robbery and was told the emergency service would contact the station on their behalf. He says no one has called him or his wife since.

The officer responds, “Okay, so wah allyuh doing, sitting down home an’ waiting fuh de police to call allyuh? You doh know where de station is?”

The man then says, “Excuse?”

The officer then says, “Do you know where St Joseph Station is? So why allyuh doh come in and make a formal report?”

The audio goes silent for a few seconds before the man says, “Thanks, ma’am.”

In a Facebook post yesterday, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said, “Too many public officials behave as though the office and the service are for and about them! Missing the point that it is for those whom they serve. It is about service!”

He said society has become rude and uncaring and often there is no accountability.

“This is a reflection of the general trend in our society, where rudeness, obscenity and violence appear to be gaining ground rapidly.”

Hinds praised the calm demeanour of the unidentified man in the clip, calling him a “level-headed and decent member of the public” who recorded an insensitive and unbecoming response. The MP said, however, the public is equally abrasive to public officials and has cussed, threatened and assaulted officials in some cases.

“The leadership of the Police Service has frowned on this alleged behaviour and has begun the investigative and disciplinary process.”

He praised the CoP and ended his post by asking the public to let the process take its course. CoP Erla Harewood-Christopher, in her response, said poor customer service will not be condoned. In a Facebook post yesterday morning, she said, “The TTPS has been investing substantially in improving its service delivery to the public and strongly condemns any instance of poor customer service by police officers during the conduct of their duties. Any instance of poor customer service will be deemed unacceptable and will not be condoned.”

Harewood-Christopher said the TTPS strives for professionalism in all areas of its operations and will continue to provide ongoing customer service training to all officers to ensure the public receives service of the highest quality.

“Senior officers at all police stations are responsible for ensuring all reports made, whether by telephone or in person, are accurately and immediately recorded and that officers take prompt action where necessary.”

The statement advised the public to speak with an officer in charge if they believe they are not being taken and ended with Harewood-Christopher saying the incident is being investigated, with appropriate disciplinary action to follow.

“We again apologise to the victim in the matter and the public, every effort will be made to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.”

In a WhatsApp conversation on Friday with Newsday, the president of the Police Social and Welfare Association, acting ASP Gideon Dickson, said the association cannot and will not condone any demonstration of unprofessional behaviour that brings the organisation into disrepute.

“Efforts are being made daily to improve our engagement with the public by thousands of officers, and it is rather unfortunate within our organisation that there are a few whose negative interactions tend to label the entire service. Our disciplinary processes should remedy this instance.”

Dickson said ongoing customer care training is being rolled out in various divisions.

“Firstly, our officers need to appreciate in this profession we are providing a service. Secondly, embrace our acronym, PRIDE, in all that we do. Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diligent and Excellence.”

He stressed that communication is the lifeline of society and the bridge between people, which counteracts race,class,ethnicity and profession, saying better can be done using words and actions to build relationships with people as opposed to hurting others.

“We have to embrace technology for all the right reasons on and off the job and utilise the mediums for more effective communication while striving to regain public trust and confidence as captured in our strategic goals.”

Head of the Professional Standards Bureau, Snr Supt Suzette Martin, spoke with Newsday by phone on Friday and reminded officers to be respectful when dealing with the public. She said the matter has already been referred to the Police Complaints Authority to be investigated. She said it was not a criminal matter but an internal disciplinary one.