‘Evening all’ a term of the past

POLICE officers in Warwickshire are being urged not to use greetings such as “evening” and “afternoon” in case it confuses people from different cultures.

The advice was revealed in the results of a Freedom of Information request to police forces and fire services about the guidance they give their staff on their use of language.

It found that in Warwickshire Police’s handbook Policing Our Communities, issued to every member of its staff, advice is given on communicating with people from different ethnic groups.

Under a section entitled “Communication, Some Do’s & Don’ts” it advises officers on communicating with people from different ethnic groups.

It states: “Don’t assume those words for the time of day, such as afternoon or evening have the same meaning.”

A spokesman said: “Terms such as ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’ are somewhat subjective in meaning and can vary according to a person’s culture or nationality. In many cultures the term evening is linked to the time of day when people have their main meal.

“In some countries including the UK, the evening meal time is traditionally thought of as being around 5-7pm but this might be different say for a family say from America who might have their main meal earlier and thus for them ‘evening’ may be an earlier time.

“The point is there is an element of subjectivity leading to a variation between cultures that we need to be aware of – taking steps as far as possible to ensure our communication is effective in serving the public.”

Officers are also advised not to use phrases that include black in a negative context, such as ‘black mark’ or ‘black day’.

And they are advised: “Do take care to be patient and reassuring when accent or language hinders communication. Remember, a translator could be useful.”

But critics have said the guidelines lack common sense.

Marie Claire, of the Plain English Campaign, said: “There comes a point when common sense must prevail.

“I have never heard of anyone being confused as to what part of the day it is. When the police need absolute accuracy over when something happened, then I am sure they use the exact time."