4.5 stars: Glowing review after ex-cell-ent stay with Westshore RCMP

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Mounties on Vancouver Island are chuffed to receive a glowing review from a former prisoner about their stay.

Westshore RCMP got a thank-you note from someone who was recently in custody. In it, the person gave the staff a 4.5-star rating.

“Being a police officer for a number of years, I have, on occasion, gotten thank-you cards myself. But never from a prisoner and never reviewing their prison stay!” said Const. Nancy Saggar.

While Saggar can’t comment on why the person was in custody, she said the person was only at the temporary holding facility for a few days.

“In speaking to the prison guards, [they said] they were pleasant to deal with. There were no issues on either end,” she said.

In the thank-you note, the person wrote, “I was nervous about staying with you guys during my trip to the island. But I wanted to let you know that I appreciated how helpful and kind everyone was.”

@WestshoreRCMP don’t often get thank you cards from people who “stay” with us, but this was sure nice to see. 4.5 star rating to boot! ???? pic.twitter.com/3vfLhzQOG4

— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) January 18, 2021

Saggar says it was great to see they had a good experience.

“In my experience being a police officer, generally, most interactions with prisoners are going to be cordial. Of course, you do have your clients that you come across who are very unhappy. People don’t come to stay with us in the best circumstances — clearly, you’re having a bad day, if you’re in police custody,” she said.

“It’s not out of the ordinary to get a thank you from someone who is leaving our custody. But it is out of the ordinary to receive a card and also a rating.”

In the note, the ex-prisoner gave a shoutout to the prison guards.

“Especially the 4 jailors who do a tough job and are often under appreciated by the people in their care. You make a difference,” they wrote.

While they are happy for the glowing review, officers aren’t looking for more business.

“We don’t want to encourage more people to come and stay with us,” Saggar laughed. “We appreciate the 4.5-star review. However, please don’t make that a point in trying to come and stay with us.”

The only question is what could they have done to get a perfect score?

“Why the 4.5 stars? Why not five? I guess we do need to strive for something. It keeps us humble,” she said.