http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222813/Whats-Police-say-evenin-more.html

With his greeting of 'Evenin' all', Dixon of Dock Green embodied the values of the solid, commonsense copper.
But his reassuring salutation, which began each episode of the classic police TV drama from 1955 to 1976, is one which today's real-life officers should be wary of using.
According to one force's official guidelines, it could confuse people from different cultural backgrounds.
Warwickshire Police's handbook Policing Our Communities, issued to every member of its staff, gives advice on communicating with people from different ethnic groups in a section entitled Communication, Some Dos & Don’ts.
It states: 'Don't assume those words for the time of day, such as afternoon or evening, have the same meaning.'
A force spokesman explained: 'Terms such as afternoon and evening are somewhat subjective in meaning and can vary according to a person's culture or nationality. In many cultures the term evening is linked to time of day when people have their main meal of the day.
'In some countries, including the UK, the evening meal time is traditionally thought of as being around 5-7pm but this might be different, say, for a family from America who might have their main meal earlier and thus for them evening may be an earlier time.'
In a section entitled Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Communities the handbook confusingly states that the phrase 'lesbians and gay men' is likely to be satisfactory for most situations when talking about sexual orientation, but says ' homosexual' is 'best avoided' as the word is 'interpreted differently by many and relates to sexual practice as opposed to sexual orientation'.


Following a Freedom of Information request to police forces and fire services it also emerged that a number, including Essex Police and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, instruct staff to avoid the words 'child, youth or youngster'.
They could have 'connotations of inexperience, impetuosity and unreliability, or even dishonesty'.
The guide used by them also states that addressing someone as 'boy' or 'girl' may 'cause offence'. It suggests 'young people' instead.
The same guide also warns against the phrases 'manning the phones', 'layman's terms' and 'the tax man', for 'making women invisible'.
Yesterday Marie Clair, of the Plain English Campaign, said: 'Those writing these guides are overanalysing things. It's political correctness gone crazy.
'Is anyone really going to be confused by "evening"? And if you can't say what a lovely afternoon it is, what are you meant to say - what a lovely 3pm?'

top of the morning to you






When is the bottom of the morning?????

before the morning coffee for me