Communication Crisis During the “Ear Squat” Incident

COMMUNICATION CRISIS DURING THE “EAR SQUAT” INCIDENT ASP Lai Lee Ching 1. INTRODUCTION A crisis can come from no where at any time; natural disasters, human errors and industrial accidents can all cause a crisis. However, the crisis to be discussed in this paper is different from the crisis stated in the Inspecter General of Police Standing Order (IGSO) B106 – Crisis Response Team, which took effect from 2 July 2003. Under IGSO B106, “crisis” refers to crisis of a criminal nature, such as hostage taking, terrorism or hijacking which is related to national security and public order and the crisis response team comes under the control and command of the Director of Internal Security and Public Order. The crisis to be discussed in this paper is related to the public perception of Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) which has adverse impact on its image and reputation. In its studies since 1990, the Institute for Crisis Management (ICM) found that 53 percent of crises were caused by management decisions/indecision, where most crises happened because the management did not take necessary actions when they were informed about a problem and allowed the problem to eventually grow into a crisis. The “ear squat” incident which involved a detainee in police lockup is a clear example of poor management of a problem. 2. THE “EAR SQUAT” INCIDENT This incident began with complaints from two female People’s Republic of China citizens in November 2005, who alleged that they were emotionally and verbally abused while under police detention and were subjected to do ear squats in the nude. Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) accompanied one of them to lodge a police report. Later that month, Kok was given a VCD by an anonymous “whistle- blower” which depicted a female police officer ordering a female detainee to do ear squats in the nude. Kok later showed the video clip to some MPs, Deleted: other triggering shock and outrage among the public in the country. Deleted: . Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi insisted that there would be no cover-up in the investigation, and so did his deputy, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Dato’ Sri Musa Hassan, while giving the same assurance, defended the ear squats as "standard procedure". Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Noh Omar then further stirred up controversy when he told foreigners upset about the incident to "go home". An independent commission, the Commission to Enquire into the Standard Operation Procedure, Rules and Regulations in relation to the Conduct of Body Search in respect of an Arrest and Detention by the Police, was set up on 1st December 2005 under the Prime Minister’s orders to investigate the issue (Nadeswaran, 2005). At the same time, opposition parties took the opportunity to reinforce the call for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commmisssion (IPCMC) (The Sun, 29 Nov 2005). This unfortunate incident further tarnished the image of RMP which has been receiving quite a lot of brickbats from the public lately. However, it also made RMP realize that something important was missing from its service delivery process – Public Relations. 3. CONCEPTS AND MODEL ADOPTED Communication in time of crisis, or crisis communication, is the art and science of working with the public through print, broadcast, cable and Internet media during an event, which could have negative, devastating impact to a governmental, corporate or non-profit organization if not handled properly. It is a skill that a public relations officer should be equipped with in the management of any crisis. The awareness of the importance of crisis management and communication has increased in recent years especially after the 911 incident. It is vital that organization be prepared to handle incidents that could affect its public image and prevent occurrence of a crisis. For the purpose of this case study, the crisis communication concepts and model adopted are as the followings: 3.1. Crisis Communication Plan Crisis communication plan is pre-incident or pre-event planning. Dr Ricky Telg, an Associate Professor of Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, USA, states that both preparedness and incident response are essential in crisis communication planning and should address three key issues as stated below: a) Organize a “what if” brainstorming session within organization. Determine steps on how to respond to the “what if” situations. b) Gather and classify information into categories, such as facts and rumours. Facts should be updated frequently; rumours should be verified or exposed as myths. c) Select crisis management and crisis communication teams. This will involve determining who is responsible for communicating with the media during a crisis, who fields telephone calls, and who makes decisions about what to say to the media. Everyone in the organization should be aware of the crisis communication team, and know how and where to reach team members in the event of a crisis. Bernstein (2001) who concurs with Telg is of the opinion that managing a crisis effectively by preparing for responses to a crisis is always a better choice to reacting to it. Bernstein (2003) listed ten steps to crisis communication as follows: a) Identify Crisis Communication Team A small team of senior executives should be identified to serve as Crisis Communication Team. Ideally, the team should be led by the director of the department concerned and include the public relations executive and legal counsel as his advisers. b) Identify a spokesperson There should be only one person who is authorized to speak for the organization in time of crisis. Normally, the head of the Crisis Communication Team should be the spokesperson. However, communications skill is the primary criteria in choosing a spokesperson. c) Spokesperson training The spokesperson should be given appropriate training to equip him with appropriate skills. Through training, the spokesperson should be taught how to be prepared, to be ready to respond in a way that maximizes the chance of a story or analyst’s evaluation coming out the way they want it to. d) Establish communication protocol An emergency communication plan should be established and distributed to all employees, informing them precisely what to do and who to do what if there appears to be a potential or occurrence of a crisis. e) Identify and know your ‘audiences’ It is crucial to identify the group of people who are interested in seeking or bringing out the shortcomings of an organization and make rapid contact with them, including the media, in time of crisis. f) Anticipate crises Be proactive and prepared for crises. Carry out brainstorming sessions with members of the Crisis Communication Team on all potential crises. By doing this, some situations can be prevented by simply modifying existing methods of operation and team members are able to think about possible responses and actions. g) Assess crisis situation Reacting without adequate information is not encouraged in any crisis situation. The Crisis Communication Team should be provided with accurate information for it to take appropriate action, taking into account all necessary steps in curtailing the crisis. h) Key messages The Crisis Communication Team shall decide what or how much information should be made public. Key messages should normally include: “We will provide the media with updated information as soon as it is available”. i) Decide on communication methods There are many different ways to communicate a crisis, internally or externally. Employees, general public and clients can be briefed personally or by post, newsletters or faxed messages. The media can receive press releases and explanatory letters, or attend one- on-one briefings and press conferences. Each of these options and the many other available means have different impacts and must be evaluated carefully before it is deployed. j) Riding out the storm No matter what the nature of the crisis, be it uplifting or derogatory, despite it being meticulously attended to, there are bound to be some members of the public who will not react the way we intend them to and this can be immensely frustrating. When this happens, the followings should be carried out: • Take an objective look at the reactions in question. Is it our fault or is it their perception? • Decide if another set of communication is likely to change that perception. Is that further communication beneficial and worth the effort? 3.2. Crisis Response Model The Crisis Response Model which consists of three components, namely operational response, management response and communication response, was developed by the Institute for Crisis Management (ICM). During a crisis, the organization responses to its internal and external public through its PR Division which also acts as the coordinator between the organization and the public. 1) Operational Response Operational response occurs at the point of crisis and where full information of the crisis can be gathered. At the operational response stage, emergency response procedures are implemented to protect employees and business operations, as well as to assess the situation so as to give the head office a clear picture of the situation. The top management, upon receiving detailed report, should take necessary actions to overcome or mitigate the situation. 2) Management Response As soon as the management has been informed about the occurrence of a crisis, the Crisis Communication Team shall be activated. The team should consist of members from the three components in the model. Doing so will ensure the uniformity of information and collective decision on action plan can be carried out to overcome the crisis. An organization with no standard procedure/manual in handling crisis will definitely face many difficulties. The crisis communication team shall advise the top management on the immediate appropriate action to be taken.

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