[LINK] Lost in the Blue Mountains

[Leah Manta]

At 10:51 20/05/2009, Adrian Chadd wrote:
>On Wed, May 20, 2009, Leah Manta wrote:
>
> > The phone I was using is a prepaid SIM without any registration 
> of my name :)
> >
> > Seems the Australian system could do with some smartening up!
>
>And this doesn't creep you out one bit? :)

Wellllll.  It kinda did at the time.  But I work with Government 
Services and so my name and number probably is in a central 
intelligence database so I can be 'cleared' quickly for situations I 
get called to consult on.  Often with victims of crime, and young 
children.  To have me "Checked" before I get the call is beneficial 
to delivering a service quickly and having those who call me know I'm 
a Chainsaw Killer!

Identification is interesting in the UK. But that's another 
discussion!  In the USA it's even more freaky!

I just use the same SIM any time I call the police :)  Not giving 
them my personal number!  I log around 2-3 incident reports a week 
for people who are too afraid.  It can be very heart breaking, but 
you have to use your intelligence.

One good thing though is a lot of encouragement to report 'incidents' 
that in many cases require no further followup.  This has started to 
help identify hot spots of potential domestic violence, racial 
crimes, homophobic crimes and so on.

There is a fair bit of flexibility in the emergency calling and non 
emergency reporting process. The scripts used are to gather relevant 
information but the operators will talk and think outside the script too.

See even calling on behalf of a victim diverts the script to gather 
the callers contact details and some minor information, then back to 
the key issue.

When something doesn't fit in a box it's not forced into whatever 
seems right, it's taken into a free flow, and then later analyzed to 
add to the system.

For example.  Hate Crime is big in the USA and UK.  Racial, 
Disability, Homophobia, and Transphobia.

Racial has been with us for decades and managed quite 
well.  Disability is improving.

However, when a Transsexal person reported a Hate Crime it was until 
last year logged under HOMOPHOBIA, even if the Transsexual was not 
Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual.  This upset the GLB sectors and the T 
sectors! Visibility of incidents was clouded.

When asked how many Transphobic incidents had been reported in the 
previous year, the answer was NONE. After a murder in Central London, 
it was realised that Transphobia is not Homophobia (although could 
over lap) and hence now has it's own flag.

(Just deleted a whole tangent!)

Anyway it sounds like the system in NSW needs some urgent updating 
and operators need to be trained to think, rather than be monkeys.

Technology is a tool humans use.  If we wanted to be processed by 
script then sack the humans and put in IVR!

"Press 1 if you have a street address"

"Key in the street address by pressing the number buttons on your phone"

Bleep: M

Bleep: a

Bleep: a
Bleep: b
Bleep: c

Bleep: p
Bleep: q

Bleep: t
Bleep: u

Bleep: a

Bleep: p
Bleep: q
Bleep: r

... got time to spell MacQuarie Street :)