When you are asked.
WHAT SITUATIONS ARISE
Officials requesting payment for routine services Payment demanded to release goods or documents Payment requested to avoid a penalty Payment expected to win or keep a contract Payment demanded at checkpoints or during inspections
WHAT TO ESTABLISH FIRST
Whether the payment is an official charge.
HOW
Ask for the official basis, the amount, and a receipt.
WHY THAT QUESTION
Legitimate charges have all three; improper demands have none.
WHAT TO SAY
That you will pay official charges, against a receipt.
WHY IT WORKS FREQUENTLY
Most improper demands are abandoned when documentation is requested.
WHAT TO AVOID
Confrontation Accusation Aggression
WHY
They escalate the situation and they can be dangerous.
WHAT TO PREFER
Polite persistence, and reference to procedure.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT DELAY AS PRESSURE
Recognise it, and escalate through proper channels.
WHY
Delay is the standard lever, and paying to end it confirms it works.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH INTERNALLY
That staff are not required to pay, and will not be penalised for delays caused by refusing.
WHY
Staff pay because they are held to targets that assume it.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT SAFETY
That nobody is expected to refuse where their safety is at risk.
WHY
Personal safety comes before policy, and a payment under genuine threat is a different matter.
WHAT TO DO AFTERWARDS
Record it, report it internally, and take advice.
WHAT TO RECORD
Every demand: who, when, what was requested and what happened.
WHY
It evidences the pattern, and it protects those involved.
