MANCHESTER’S police are not ‘madferit’ as the crackdown on PC phrases goes too far.
A new policy in the Warwickshire Police handbook bans the use of the phrase ‘evenin’ all’, and suggests that other phrases such as ‘young person’, ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ should be used with caution.
Differences in culture are the reasons behind the new police strategy, which has not yet been adopted by Greater Manchester Police.
A spokesman from the GMP Press Office condemned the idea, and said there are no known restrictions on phrases used by PCs in the Greater Manchester area.
He said: “Evening is evening surely. What else would an officer use in that situation?”
The ‘Policing Our Communities’ handbook advises officers on how to communicate with people from different ethnic groups.
It claims that the word ‘evening’ means different things to people from different cultures.
Officers are told that accidentally using the word in the wrong context could be deemed offensive, and are advised not to use it at all.
The GMP spokesman said: “We’re certainly not going to start clamping down on people for having a northern accent and using typically northern phrases.”
He added: “Our policy is the same as everyone else’s, from Hampshire to Liverpool. We follow national policy.”
As the policy has not been implemented nationwide, GMP were dubious as to how such ideas of political correctness would influence policing practices in the Greater Manchester area.
The city’s residents will surenly be relieved to hear that typical Northern phrases are here to stay for the time being.
Words such as ‘how do’ and ‘love’ do not cross the thin blue line, so the confusion over political correctness plods on.
Whilst different ethnicities may be confused, GMP are equally puzzled by the restrictions on colloquial language.
So next time your ‘head’s in biscuits’ after a night out, don’t be surprised if a cheery Greater Manchester ‘dibble’ still wishes you ‘evenin all’ as he passes.
