CPC Series
How to prevent complaints

0 Photo

(An article by Police Constable, Mr Tsang Chiu-yat of Shum Shui Po Division) Our Police Force nowadays has an enormous workload and much of it involves face-to-face meetings with people from all walks of life.

The attitudes and behaviour that people were prepared to accept from Policemen in the past, are totally unacceptable today. People now are better educated than ever before, they are more knowledgeable about their individual rights, and expect much more from the guardians of law and order.

Many complaints are made against us as a result of stop and search operations, issuing statutory fines or summonses in respect to traffic offences and obstruction, and making arrests. I doubt it will ever be possible to avoid any complaints at all because law enforcement inevitably involves a restraint that people tend to resent.

Understanding that complaints are inevitable, however, does not mean that we should not strive to minimise them by carrying out our duties objectively and being 'gentle' in tone and attitude.

I trust that those serving in the Complaints & Internal Investigations Bureau and the Independent Police Complaints Council fully appreciate the difficulties faced by our front-line colleagues.

As regards personal conduct, it was once quite a common practice for groups of Policemen to enjoy a quite public 'tea-break' at the beginning of their tour of duty. Even then, it wasn't really quite the proper thing to do. Nowadays, after changes in the Force to meet changes in public expectations, it is absolutely unacceptable.

However, Policemen are no different from anyone else in needing rest and refreshments at intervals during their working day.

That is why there are designated places for tea-breaks during our tour of duty. Unfortunately some of our colleagues abuse the rights to refreshment by indulging in loud and empty talk in public, smoking, cursing or taking breaks longer than permitted. Such misconduct often invites public complaints. Only our restraint and self-discipline can minimise public complaints to a significant degree.

From experience we know that most complaints against front-line officers are a result of direct contact with members of the public or our behaviour in public. Tact, restraint, and exemplary behaviour will most surely result in fewer complaints.