ST. PAUL - Support staff at the St. Paul RCMP detachment want to remind the public that abusive and harassing behaviour will not be tolerated toward its staff members following a few recent incidents.
In a bid to remind the public of proper protocol, Kellieka Formanek, the detachment’s public information officer, offered a few tips regarding the type of information that can be released to the public and also confirmed that incidents have occurred lately that are cause for concern.
"There have been several instances of the public acting aggressive towards support staff," says Formanek. Often, there is a difference in the public's expectations of what type of information can be released, or the type of help they can get - and sometimes the public can "get very frustrated and aggressive."
"This has led us to put out information to better inform the public to what they can expect to hopefully reduce some of those negative interactions," says Formanek.
When members of the public call the detachment for an update on a file, "it is helpful to have the file number and investigator’s name handy," explains Formanek. "The support staff who answer your call will ask for that information, and they will also collect your information to pass on to the investigator."
Support staff may ask for a person's name, date of birth, phone number and address to ensure the right officer gets the correct contact information, she adds.
Due to the nature of the work, RCMP members may be out responding to other calls or they may not be on shift when someone calls to ask for information.
"It is important to note that the officers work shift work and are not available all the time. If the officer you are trying to reach is not available, a message will be sent to them and they will contact you," says Formanek. She adds, "In most cases, the investigator assigned to your file is who you will need to speak with."
A policy regulates the information that can be provided to the public, says Formanek, and "While there is some information that support staff can share, most information will need to come from the officer investigating your file."
