The `War on Bad Manners’ is this week targeting the Guyana Police Force and on Wednesday a team held a two-hour workshop with ranks from the traffic department.

The workshop was held in the Police Training Centre, Eve Leary and sought to ascertain what caused the thirty-year erosion of good manners in the force, according to Ron Griffith, who was one of the facilitators of the workshop and is also an ex-police officer. He told the traffic ranks that the public had lost respect for police officers and as such the session was expected to examine how the force could gain it back.

According to Donald Sinclair, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, the force is solidly on board with the war and is making arrangements for its ranks to receive courtesy training from the team.

According to him, this improved public image did not mean the police were getting soft on crime or breaches of the peace, but were conscious of weaknesses in their approach to the general public.

The courtesy sessions held with the force, according to Sinclair, would be the primary responsibility of three specialists, Murray Greenidge, Griffith and Donna Short-Gill.

The sessions are targeting ranks from a number of departments, especially those whose duties bring them into frequent contact with members of the public.

The initiative will also include the creation of `Manners Cells’ in each station, a nucleus of ranks, who will be responsible for monitoring compliance with standards of good manners.

Stations will also display posters to remind ranks of their commitment to the highest standards of courtesy and politeness.

The sessions with the ranks are focusing on two areas, articulation skills and interpersonal communication.

Short-Gill said the team was also trying to ascertain from the ranks what were some of their experiences with members of the public as traffic cops.

Griffith also spoke about the presentation of officers when conducting duties on the road pointing out that they would not get a second chance to make a first impression. “You have to become conscious of what you are and what you do within the system.”

The `War on Bad Manners’ campaign was launched in July of this year. The organisers will be going around to police stations to hold sessions.