Other Stuff
Typing error gives police a bad name
September 20, 2005
Annoyed … Ken Moroney ordered a recall of the vests.
Photo: Tanya Lake
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.
- Stephen Gibbs