Lie detectors are OK

Feb 28, 2002

CONTROVERSY HAS arisen over the introduction of lie detector tests at Century Bottling Company, the bottlers of Coca-Cola.

CONTROVERSY HAS arisen over the introduction of lie detector tests at Century Bottling Company, the bottlers of Coca-Cola. All staff from the Managing Director down have undergone the tests in an attempt to eliminate malpractice in the company. Some staff feel that the lie detector bypassed traditional disciplinary procedures. Interestingly those staff are not denying that there is malpractice.The lie detector was brought from South Africa. It detects nervous impulses in a test subject who is answering questions. The process begins with neutral questions to establish the normal pattern of the subject. A skilled operator can spot abnormal reactions to certain questions that indicate discomfort or anxiety on the part of the subject. This might be an indication that the subject may be lying.Of course a subject may have a nervous reaction to a certain question even if he is not lying. That is why lie detector tests are not admissible as evidence in a court of law and why a lie detector test on its own is insufficient evidence for dismissal of staff. Nevertheless lie detector tests are widely used around the world to find out if people are telling the truth. The CIA and the FBI in America are probably its most well known exponents. Uganda still has a serious problem with petty fraud. Most employees are diligent and hardworking but some still try and cheat the system. No one complains if companies mount surprise audits or install video surveillance cameras. It is then perfectly legitimate to employ lie detector tests in Uganda, especially if it is applied across the board and not just to suspect workers.

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