The Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) is apologising to a Jamaican-born visitor who complained of being threatened with arrest on arrival on the island last Friday.

The agency has assured that it is investigating the matter.

“PICA extends its sincerest apologies to the visitor for any inconvenience that they experienced. As stated by the customer, this is not the service they expected. PICA takes service seriously and would not intentionally offend or cause discomfort to any customer or passenger as this is not ‘the PICA way’ of conducting business,’ the agency said in a statement issued Thursday morning.

The Gleaner had carried the complaint made by Dr Rushell White, a deputy superintendent of schools in Brooklyn, New York, in an email to PICA boss Andrew Wynter after she and her 24-year-old son arrived at the airport on August 11.

PICA said it acknowledges the complaint and the matter is currently being investigated according to its Customer Complaints Procedure, adding that it will be treated with the utmost urgency that due process will allow.

“We take all complaints seriously as we do not take things for granted. We learn from these issues and it helps us to grow and develop as an organisation,” PICA said.

The agency said that it prides itself on treating its employees, stakeholders and customers with respect and courtesy.

“PICA ensures that all persons conducting business with the agency are meted with service that is delivered in a professional way that does not adversely affect the rights and dignity of the customers,” it added.

“Our employees face many challenges daily in serving a wide cross-section of customers. It is for this reason we focus on building capacity and developing initiatives that equip our staff with the necessary skills to ensure that they can deal with any diverse situations they encounter. As such, whichever situation we face, we learn and improve or modify our approach so that we can meet and exceed the expectations of our customers,” the agency said.