Racial Relations - NSW Style
Sep. 20th, 2005 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I used to work for an industrial safety company that supplied those incredibly bright coloured vests to road workers, building sites, the odd nightclub (including one very odd nightclub called 'Headquarters' - say no more) & the more adventurous government departments - including the police. There was the occasional printing error, but it was usually noticed by one of our staff, before the stock was delivered to the client.
However, these things do not always go as planned...
Typing error gives police a bad name
September 20, 2005
Police thought they had spelt out what was wanted: one four-letter word printed on light and bright clothing to clearly identify Aboriginal community liaison officers dealing with drunks and other volatile situations at night.
The force's uniform services branch chose a one-size-fits-all vest in "high visibility" lime green, with the acronym ACLO on the back. It ordered 50 from an outside supplier at $18.05 a piece.
Last week, when they arrived in boxes at uniform services, staff confirmed there were 50 items but none was inspected or taken out of its plastic bag.
On Friday the vests were sent, sight unseen, to every local area command in the state with an Aboriginal community liaison officer, marked for the attention of the uniform officer.
Immediately upon taking a vest from its plastic bag, one commander was on the phone to human resources. "Listen, about these vests…" Within minutes the Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, was told: "We've got a bit of a problem here, Ken…"
The vests designed to identify Aboriginal liaison officers sent into dangerous situations - often alcohol-fuelled, potentially violent - had been produced with "ALCO" printed on the rear. That is ALCO, or alcoholic abbreviated - not ACLO, or some other mistake that could have been made.
Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said the commissioner was annoyed at the unfortunate misspelling, but he was probably mortified. He demanded an explanation and ordered a state-wide recall of the vests.
A preliminary investigation blamed "a simple printing error" by the supplier, which had not been detected by the uniform services branch.
"Our purchase order clearly has the right spelling on it," Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said. However, in subsequent email correspondence the supplier mistakenly transposed the middle letters of ACLO.
Police did not notice the supplier's error during exchanges of email, or check the finished product when they took receipt of the vests. "Uniform services accepts the blame that they did not inspect the writing on the vests prior to them being dispatched," Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said. "There was no intention to offend anybody. It was a simple printing error."
But Mr Moroney did recognise the potential for Aborigines to be offended. "NSW Police apologises unreservedly to NSW ACLOs and regrets any offence this has caused," his spokeswoman said.
In a week where the State Planning Minister issues a call on public radio for a leading aboriginal executive to 'get his black arse down here so we can talk...', it's not the sort of SNAFU you really need... Part of me really hopes it was my old employers who supplied the vests - & I'd like to think they let them through on purpose...
However, these things do not always go as planned...
Typing error gives police a bad name
September 20, 2005
Police thought they had spelt out what was wanted: one four-letter word printed on light and bright clothing to clearly identify Aboriginal community liaison officers dealing with drunks and other volatile situations at night.
The force's uniform services branch chose a one-size-fits-all vest in "high visibility" lime green, with the acronym ACLO on the back. It ordered 50 from an outside supplier at $18.05 a piece.
Last week, when they arrived in boxes at uniform services, staff confirmed there were 50 items but none was inspected or taken out of its plastic bag.
On Friday the vests were sent, sight unseen, to every local area command in the state with an Aboriginal community liaison officer, marked for the attention of the uniform officer.
Immediately upon taking a vest from its plastic bag, one commander was on the phone to human resources. "Listen, about these vests…" Within minutes the Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, was told: "We've got a bit of a problem here, Ken…"
The vests designed to identify Aboriginal liaison officers sent into dangerous situations - often alcohol-fuelled, potentially violent - had been produced with "ALCO" printed on the rear. That is ALCO, or alcoholic abbreviated - not ACLO, or some other mistake that could have been made.
Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said the commissioner was annoyed at the unfortunate misspelling, but he was probably mortified. He demanded an explanation and ordered a state-wide recall of the vests.
A preliminary investigation blamed "a simple printing error" by the supplier, which had not been detected by the uniform services branch.
"Our purchase order clearly has the right spelling on it," Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said. However, in subsequent email correspondence the supplier mistakenly transposed the middle letters of ACLO.
Police did not notice the supplier's error during exchanges of email, or check the finished product when they took receipt of the vests. "Uniform services accepts the blame that they did not inspect the writing on the vests prior to them being dispatched," Mr Moroney's spokeswoman said. "There was no intention to offend anybody. It was a simple printing error."
But Mr Moroney did recognise the potential for Aborigines to be offended. "NSW Police apologises unreservedly to NSW ACLOs and regrets any offence this has caused," his spokeswoman said.
In a week where the State Planning Minister issues a call on public radio for a leading aboriginal executive to 'get his black arse down here so we can talk...', it's not the sort of SNAFU you really need... Part of me really hopes it was my old employers who supplied the vests - & I'd like to think they let them through on purpose...
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-20 11:08 pm (UTC)