Officers' Polish lessons begin

Police officers in north Shropshire will be given language lessons to help them communicate with Polish people in the county when a new course launches today.

Up to 15 officers and police staff who have regular dealings with Polish communities have asked for basic tuition to learn some simple key phrases.

And they will start learning the language after volunteering for a new course which will feature 10 weekly sessions at Shrewsbury's police station.

The new course is mainly for local police officers, police community support officers (PSCOs) and response officers from north Shropshire and Oswestry.

It follows other successful courses. Sergeant Ed Hancox, of Shropshire's local policing unit, said: "There is an emerging Polish population in these areas and a key part of our community engagement plan is to make sure we can communicate with all sections of the local population.

"We ran the courses last year after officers suggested it would help them to converse with members of the Polish community and we had no shortage of volunteers. It's also helped when dealing with Polish casualties at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

"They learn basic phrases which they will write down ready for use, but they are enough to open lines of communication. Even being able to say 'hello' is a help and our experience shows Polish people also appreciate that we are making an effort to understand a little bit of their language."