British police make a plea for return to plain-speaking ways
We read:
"It was once a case of “Hello, hello, hello, what have we here then?” Now, after decades of speaking a different language from the rest of us, police officers have made a plea to be allowed to speak plain English.
Constables in Dumfries & Galloway have submitted proposals to the Scottish Police Federation conference next week, saying that they and their colleagues everywhere are mocked for using traditional “police-speak”. This includes many “confusing and irritating” phrases when speaking to the public, along with a host of bewildering acronyms. Simply put, it seems that after years of proceeding in a northwesterly direction to investigate the party exiting a vehicle, the police would rather just say that they turned left to see the man getting out of a car.
Rank-and-file officers hope that the move will help to distance themselves from what has become known as “ploddledygook”. The report to the conference reads: “The mover of the motion feels strongly that for too long the Police Service has chosen verbosity over accuracy and clarity and that in 2009 there should be a return to plain English. Too many documents are crowded with management terminology and buzz phrases which wax and wane in popularity. “A return to plain English would avoid confusion and doubt about exactly what we are saying and meaning and would benefit not only the police service but the communities we serve.”
Source
8 comments:
Wow - does that mean they'll get to describe suspects...err...person's of interest....by their actual physical characteristics (i.e. skin color, height, weight, pallor....)?
I doubt it.
This is the first positive thing I've heard coming out of GBR in ages, but I doubt it will be allowed and it won't affect all the other PC crap they have to deal with. They'll still have to take their little sensitivity classes and read their little red book listing all the things they are allowed to say. Where are the complaints about that? My guess is they don't have any because they get paid to take those stupid classes, probably weekend retreats, and they've either given up already or don't care as long as they get their gov't check.
He might have used his own advice in writing his document ;)
But in America cops use codes all the time.
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
EXP Expired
FTA Failure to Appear
GOA Gone on Arrival
GTA Grand Theft Auto
There's a huge list here
http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/polcodes.htm
How they manage to learn them all beats me.
Hey Bobby...
Yes.. American cops use codes.. they also use really plan language - frequently at high decibel levels.
INCONCEIVABLE!!!
~ Darko
Speaking of profession related jargon.....
I worked in a telecommunications sales office many years ago. One of the "secretarial" staff was a ditsy woman with a "bee hive" hair-do who sat at her desk chewing gum and filing her nails all day.
One day a client rang in and asked to speak with a particular salesperson.
Beehive glanced at the sign-out board and saw that person was out of the office on a customer visit.
Her reply to the person on the phone was: "I'm sorry, but Mr So-and-so is in the field at the moment.
Now the person ringing in was from another country and thought the phrase "in the field" meant the salesperson was in the bathroom. So he retorted: "Please have Mr So-and-so ring me when he gets out of the lavatory.
Beehive replied: "He's not in the john. I told you He is in the field! (Much arm gesturing and snarling)
This went on for a few more minutes and finally Beehive slammed the phone down and announced to the entire office: "That Ar*e-hole thinks Mr So-and-so is planting potatoes on the "North-Forty!"
REAL STORY!!!!
So when professional jargon is spoken to a non professional expect some confusion.
Bobby, when Police use codes, as you call them, they're meant for other Police Officers, not the public.
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