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POLICE are investigating their members’ skills at breaking tragic news to families after a Bay couple claimed they suffered a traumatic experience at the hands of an incompetent officer.

Isobel and Bert Robertson, of Cotswold, have described their anger and distress over the bungling manner in which they were informed of their 25-year-old son Keith’s fatal accident in the Channel Islands last month.

The couple, who waited 24 hours for official confirmation of the tragedy, had already learnt of their son’s death before the police informed them because the victim’s brother had been given the news on social network site Facebook.

The Robertsons claim the policeman who came to give them the news bungled by first asking to speak to Keith, adding to their trauma, and the couple have subsequently lodged an official complaint with the SAPS.

The police have responded by saying a probe will be initiated and if it is found to be necessary, it will provide officers with training in how to break news of tragedies to families.

They’ve also said that delays in getting the news to the Robertsons from overseas was due to proper procedures not being followed as Interpol should have been contacted.

Keith, who worked as a barman for Dix Neuf in Jersey, fell off a roof on November 9, was rushed to hospital but died two hours later from multiple injuries.

Although Jersey police started trying to make contact with the SAPS the same day, they were unsuccessful and it was only the following day that the Robertsons first became aware of something amiss.

“We were alerted to the fact that the Jersey police were looking for us through Keith’s friend Lewis who was in London,” said his mother.

“We started to panic and then eventually called the Jersey police but they said they couldn’t tell us anything and we had to wait a few hours.

“We wondered what happened and thought he had done something silly,” said Robertson.

It was only later the family learnt of the tragedy when shocked older son Campbell, who lives in Canada, informed his parents he had received a message via Facebook of his brother’s death.

“I am furious that we had to learn of his death via Facebook.”

Robertson said the Jersey police started trying to contact the SAPS on the day of Keith’s death – a Monday – but could not raise a response.

It was only the next afternoon they managed to make contact with police in Port Elizabeth and that was when the Robertsons were finally officially notified.

“After numerous attempts, the Jersey police got hold of an Inspector Anker in Port Elizabeth who eventually sent police around to notify us of his death.”

Robertson said the police officer who knocked on their door “couldn’t really speak English and did not have a clue of what he was talking about”.

“He asked to speak to Keith – I was so furious. Keith’s details were scribbled on a piece of paper and next to his name was written suicide.”

However, suicide was not established and Keith’s death was declared accidental. The Robinsons later flew to Jersey in the wake of the news.

Robertson filed an official complaint against the police on December 4 but to date she has not had any response.

Police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said Jersey police should have worked through Interpol.

“They (Interpol) would have known who the right people at SAPS would have been to deliver the message.”