Public servants are obliged to be civil to members of the public when discharging their duties.

While it is sometimes not easy for front-line officers to show a smiling face when challenged, the least they must do is exercise control in their conduct.

There are regulations and guidelines on how civil servants interact with members of the public.

However, the same cannot be said if the job of providing public services is commercialised ("Rethink practice of outsourcing traffic policing" by Mr Paul Chan Poh Hoi; July 11).

What is there to prevent a profit-oriented company from hiring unsuitable people, in a bid to trim the bottom line? Whose fault is it when a front-line officer from a private contractor turns nasty or resorts to violence?

There will be finger-pointing and all concerned will harp on what the officer should or should not have done. But another ugly incident will be waiting to happen.

There should certainly be a rethink on the practice of outsourcing traffic policing. There are certain jobs in the Government that cannot be outsourced.

Military defence is one such area and another is in maintaining law and order.

Daniel Chan Wai Piew