By Graeme Cleland

CRITICS OF a huge rise in police translation costs need to “look at the bigger picture,” according to a Tayside Police diversity adviser.

Nasreen Mohammed, who is based at police headquarters in Bell Street, Dundee, made the claim after it was revealed the amount the force spends on translation services more than doubled in a year.

Tayside spent £44,491 over the past year on translation—with the Scotland-wide total up by more than a third to almost £300,000.

The increased cost has been attributed in some quarters to the pressure of dealing with the country’s rapidly growing immigrant population but Ms Mohammed said immigrants were not solely responsible and outlined the value of improving translation services for all sections of the community.

She pointed out that it was not just foreign criminals who required the help of translators but also victims of crime and those with disabilities.

“There are a number of complex issues surrounding this area,” she said.

“Obviously, the migrant population has had an impact, but I think that we will also see a further rise due to the new disability regulations being put in place next month.

“In Tayside we expect to see a greater use of sign language and a greater demand for alternative forms of the information we provide.

“We also have to provide this type of service on a 24-hour basis, so if we have a situation where anybody is unable to make themselves understood, for instance if they have speech difficulties, we have a responsibility to provide someone to interpret for them.

“However, the cost of these services is very high because there are so few people able to provide them.

“To my knowledge there is only one organisation which provides sign language interpretation on a 24-hour basis.”

Ms Mohammed said the introduction of legislation such as the Human Rights Act and the Race Relations Act meant police forces were duty bound to provide translation facilities regardless of cost.

“There was a time where we could use family members or friends to help us with our inquiries, but that has changed with new regulations being brought in,” she said.

“Translations must be independently carried out and we now have to use professional interpreters, and their services are not cheap.”

Ms Mohammed continued, “People see these figures suddenly appearing but they don’t realise the wider role these services play.

“For instance, if there is a critical incident like a murder where the case involves a foreign national—such as the one in Arbroath last year—then all the documents related to it have to be translated into the language of the person involved for their country’s authorities.

“There is also a certain amount of information people need so they are aware of their basic rights and so on.

“Recently we have been working in partnership with Angus Council and voluntary organisations to interpret materials for the migrant workforce that comes to the area.”

She added, “These things are equally available to everyone, and that is something that makes the UK a better service provider than many other countries.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) said translation services were a fact of life in modern policing and the money was well spent.

Lothian and Borders chief constable Paddy Tomkins said, “The Scottish police service is committed to serving all the communities of Scotland and one element of that is to address the challenge of translation and interpretation.

“ACPOS are working with the Crown Office to deliver the highest quality of service which will address these language issues.”

The biggest jump in spending on translation was in Dumfries and Galloway, which went from £156 in 2002-03 to £140,035 last year.

Grampian Police saw a rise from just over £5000 in 2001-02 to £37,695 last year, while Lothian and Borders’ costs rose from £49,759 in 2004 to £62,847 last year.