Often, a half-message or sentence taken out of context can lead to confusion and cause harm simply because the sender forgot to clarify his comment or forgot to add important details. The changes made at the Maroshévíz/Toplița Municipality Police serve as a classic example.
Citizen safety is the Maroshévíz/Toplița Police’s top priority – between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“Thieves are asked not to steal after 6 p.m.
This is the message the Hargita/Harghita County Police Inspectorate bosses sent to their stations, announcing the change in shifts to 12 hours per day,” says the Europol Syndicate’s post criticizing the announcement.
Before you rush to draw reckless conclusions and start worrying about the safety of Maroshévíz/Toplița inhabitants, here’s the thing: Europol obtained and posted an internal message sent to employees of the local police office, announcing the switch to 12-hour shifts. But this doesn’t mean that you won’t find a police officer on duty between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., the Hargita/Harghita County Police Inspectorate clarified to Romanian news agency Agerpres.
“Considering that the COVID-19 infection rate is close to 5 per 1,000 inhabitants, the management team of the Maroshévíz/Topliţa Municipality Police proposed the implementation of a new work schedule, with 12-hour shifts to cover the entire area of responsibility, ensuring staff for each operative structure (public order, road, forensics, criminal investigations) 24 hours per day, 7 days a week,” the clarification reads.
Still, it is rather interesting how a wrongly formulated sentence or message taken out of context can cause harm and lead to frustration, as well as make citizens feel unsafe. As for thieves already making plans for after 6 p.m. in this area, think again, as police officers aren’t in pajamas between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Title image: Romanian police officers. Image credit: Wall-Street.ro
