The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Speakers of certain Eastern European languages are being sought to become police officers in South Holland.
The force has launched a recruitment drive to employ those who can speak Polish, Latvian or Lithuanian as well as being fluent in English.
Lincolnshire Police say the aim to employ between six to 12 new officers is “to improve its service to communities across the county, and particularly in Boston and South Holland.”
The Force say the scheme is not a cost cutting measure to save on hiring translators.
A spokesman said: “Translation services will still be required. An officer, however fluent, could not legally do the translation for a witness statement or suspect interview. The recruitment drive is not about saving money in translation but about better representing the communities we serve.”
Chief Constable Bill Skelly said: “We are always looking at how we can improve our service to residents and language barriers often prevent us from giving the very best service to residents who speak limited English.
“We have to be flexible and adjust our workforce to the needs of communities or we are not being efficient in the way we work.
“Having police officers with these particular language skills will be a huge benefit to our investigations and help to ensure vital information is not missed.
“This will also help us to safeguard the public, support victims of crime, solve more cases and bring offenders to justice – all at a much quicker rate than we currently can.”
“It is essential we bridge these gaps with our communities and we will continue to put the right people with the right skills in positions where they can make a huge difference.”
For more information and to apply visit https://www.lincs.police.uk/about-us/join-us/
