Thread: Smile and don't be killjoys.

Smile and don't be killjoys: Force sends 500 officers on charm offensive course
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:45 PM on 27th August 2009






Police chiefs sent 550 officers on a 'positive thinking' course encouraging them to smile and tell revellers to 'have a good time'.

Almost a quarter of Leicestershire's 2,300 officers were sent on a one day 'confidence training' workshop to learn 'cutting edge management techniques' - costing tens of thousands of pounds.

The course encouraged PCs and sergeants to avoid phrases like 'We don't want any trouble' when dealing with the public, and instead told them to focus on 'positive' statements.

Trainers told officers, who took turns to sit the course earlier this month, that 'starting off on a negative' is a 'no no' and that they should 'smile' and tell revellers to 'have a good time'.

Part of the 'positive training' was to ensure that they do not come across as 'too stern' or 'killjoys' when dealing with the public.

Frontline officers were told to 'encourage the public to do what they actually want them to do' with 'positive and encouraging' phrases, according to the respected industry magazine.

Positive phrases suggested on the course included: 'Have a good time please' and 'Keep the noise down and we will all be happy'.

Officers were told not to use 'negative phrases' like 'What's going on here then?', 'We don't want any trouble', 'Get yourself home', 'You've had too many' and 'Come over here for a quiet chat' when speaking to the public.


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The course is intended to help the force hit the Government's public confidence target of 60 per cent by 2012.

One officer, who attended the course, said: 'Everybody thought the training was about building officers' confidence, but it was actually about building the public's confidence in the police.

'One aspect of it is about lowering the public's expectation about what they should expect of the police so when we exceed it, the public are surprised and pleased.

'I think it is very unethical.'

The police charm offensive

Dos...

● Smile

● Tell revellers to 'have a good time!'

● Encourage them to do what they actually want to do

● Use positive and encouraging phrases

_______________________________

Don'ts...

● Start off on a negative

● Say: 'what's going on here then?'

● Say: 'We don't want any trouble'

● Say: 'Get yourself home!'

● You've had too many

_______________________________

Dave Grenz, chairman of Leicestershire Police Federation, slammed the course.

He said: 'I do not think officers on the street need to be told to try to increase public confidence because most of them do that anyway.

'Most officers try to be as professional as they can doing a difficult job under difficult circumstances. I think these are just management tactics.'

Another officer said: 'It it totally ridiculous. The public will think we've lost our marbles if we start smiling at them all the time and tell them to have a good night out - which is what they want us to do.

'We aren't here to make people happy, we're here to make sure people are safe and if that means speaking negatively to some people then that's what we should do.

'It's worked for the last 180-odd years so why change it now?

A spokesman for the force said: 'This is an unfortunate misunderstanding.

'It is about officers being clear that we can deliver on what they promise. We provide this kind of training to our officers because we believe it is important to provide the public with an excellent service.'

Supt Chris Rollings, director of service excellence at the force, said: 'We are providing our officers with cutting edge management techniques to get the best outcomes out of potentially negative situations.'
view-source:whttp://ww.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209419/Police-chiefs-send-550-officers-course-teaching-smile.html . .

Dos...

● Smile

● Tell revellers to 'have a good time!'

● Encourage them to do what they actually want to do

● Use positive and encouraging phrases

Wot, no Allah Akhbar (or somesuch)??

sounds like an excellent use of taxpayers money...not