Sunday, March 21, 2010



British police can't ask for Christian names (could offend other faiths)

We read:
"Police officers have been banned from asking for ‘Christian’ names for fear of offending other religions. fficers taking down a suspect’s particulars must now refer to their ‘personal’ or ‘family name’ as the word ‘Christian’ could offend Muslims, Sikhs and other faiths, according to new diversity guidelines.

They state bobbies on the beat should refrain from using phrases such as ‘my dear’ or ‘love’, when addressing women for fear it may cause embarrassment or offence. Well-meaning gestures like handshakes or putting a comforting arm around a victim or grieving family member are also prohibited as it could be deemed ‘unprofessional’.

They are also warned not to use terms like afternoon or evening as it could confuse people of ‘different cultural backgrounds’ about the time of day.

The booklet also contains a section on appropriate terms to describe ethnic origin, suggesting ‘mixed parentage’ or ‘mixed cultural heritage’ should be used instead of ‘mixed race’.

Staff are warned that when speaking to someone from Africa or Asia, they should refer to their specific country rather than the continent as a whole.

The rulebook has been described by Kent Police Federation secretary Peter Harman as a ‘useful and educational reference guide to dealing with different communities’. But it has angered some rank and file officers who say it is politically correct nonsense.

One officer said: ‘Most of us are fully aware of how to treat people from different cultural backgrounds, but being told we can’t even ask what their Christian name is just plain ridiculous. ‘That is what we are brought up with—Christian name and surname—and to be honest if you had an officer ask for your personal name and family name it’s just going to confuse people....

Source

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's like saying "bugger" is acceptable and "fuck" is not. They mean the same thing, and when used in the same context, they convey the same message.

Call a spade a spade and get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

You have to be a freaking mute to make it as an officer in Britain.

The Finn said...

Well... I for one had no idea there was such a thing as a 'christian name' in English. In Finnish we have that very word and it means the first name of the person given in baptism. I assume in English it means the person's last-/family-/surname (judging by the text here). So in this case at least I would be confused if asked for my christian name. And I'm not even a Muslim.

As for the Africa/Asia thing. I see no reason why someone should be called Asian if he was from India and that was known to everyone. I understand it when you give descriptions and don't know whether someone is Indian or from Pakistan or Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. I don't mind being called European but if a bobby want's to know something about my kind I would prefer he asks me about Finland and not about Europe. Because I really don't have any more information about Bulgaria or Spain than the average Brit.

Anonymous said...

You are right Finn - in the article it sounded like 'Christian' name meant family or surname. In fact that is not correct, Christian name is your first name or given name. Traditionally one is asked for your Christian name and your surname - John and Smith.
I guess I can understand why overly sensitive busybody do-gooders might have a problem with 'Christian' name - stupid though it may be. Why do they have a problem with afternoon and evening? That is just nuts.