AHEAD of Deaf Awareness Week, which is taking place between May 4 and 11, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin, has introduced a British Sign Language (BSL) version of his Police and Crime Plan, which sets out the priorities North Wales Police have to work to in fighting crime across the region.
Deaf Awareness Week is organised by the British Deaf Association, and this year is being organised under the theme of ‘Right to understand – Together, we break barriers’. In Wales there are over 500,000 individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, according to Action Deafness Cymru, many of whom may also be victims of crime or have friends or family who may experience criminality. The BSL Police and Crime Plan will ensure that information about fighting crime is as accessible as possible to all members of the community and, in line with the theme of Deaf Awareness Week, will help break down barriers in communication and widen information sharing among communities in North Wales, whether hearing or non-hearing.
With this new version of the Police and Crime Plan, residents of North Wales who are deaf or hard of hearing, and who use BSL, can now learn more about the priorities for policing in the region in their preferred medium, something that had hitherto not been the case. The Office of the PCC was first made aware of the gaps in its provision for users of BSL by Paula Williams from Flint, a Level 4 BSL student at Coleg Llandrillo in Rhos-on-Sea and a long-time friend of the deaf community.
Paula commented: “I am committed to supporting the deaf community wherever possible, as I have several close friends who are deaf and I have seen first-hand the barriers they encounter day in and day out when communicating in BSL.
“I believe that everyone is entitled to have equal access to public services and to feel safe and valued in their local communities and that communication is key to this.
“This is the reason why I contacted North Wales Police and the Office of the PCC to request that they consider the deaf and hard of hearing community more when carrying out day-to-day operations.
“When interacting with the Police I felt that my comments and concerns were taken seriously as I was able to have various discussions with members of the Force and to identify any gaps that they may have when addressing individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.
“I hope that having a BSL version of the Police and Crime Plan available for deaf communities in North Wales is the start of many projects that aim to promote inclusion for BSL users locally.”
When approached by Paula, the Office of the PCC, led by its Scrutiny and Assurance team, recognised the importance of translating the region’s Police and Crime Plan into BSL, so the deaf and hard of hearing community could have increased access to information around policing in the area and the priorities the Force work to. The Office worked with Worcestershire-based company Sign Solutions to interpret the Plan into BSL and to produce an English and Welsh language subtitled version of the text, ensuring that all communities across North Wales can access the Plan.
Regarding emergency response for users of BSL, North Wales Police have an existing system in place for BSL users to access police assistance 24/7 in an emergency. The BSL 999 app will immediately connect a deaf or hard of hearing individual to a specialised trained member of staff who can relay their information to the Police Operator when 999 has been dialled on their phone. To improve the future operations of the ways in which departments interact with BSL, the Office of the PCC and North Wales Police’s Control Room have begun working collaboratively on a similar system to be put in place for 101 non-emergency phone calls, roadside stops, enquiries at Police Station front desks, as well as other day to day communications with members of the public who may be from the deaf community.
PCC Andy Dunbobbin commented: “I am proud that the Police and Crime Plan will now be able to reach more of North Wales’ residents in their preferred language.
“My Plan is centred on key areas that the Force is expected to deliver on, and it is important that all individuals living in North Wales are aware of what Police are expected to deliver on to keep their communities safe.
“I value the input of members of the public, and sometimes it takes great people like Paula to come to us and ask why we aren’t doing something or tell us that we should offer a different or better service.
“It’s for all of us involved in public service to rise to the challenge and meet the expectations of residents.
“I hope this is the start of a much-improved provision of opportunity and access for the BSL community in North Wales from my office and the Force.”
Clare Vale, Managing Director of Sign Solutions, added: “We were really pleased when we were approached to produce a BSL version of North Wales’ Police and Crime Plan.
“It’s encouraging to see organisations taking swift action when gaps in the provision of information for those who are deaf or hard of hearing are identified.
“Deaf people need information in their first language just as much as hearing people and this is a great example of a public body recognising how important it is that the documents they provide are accessible to everyone in the community.
“We hope other public entities will take note of this development and consider whether their own provisions are adequate.
“If they are not, the good news is that once a need for translation has been recognised, BSL versions of important documents can be created very quickly – many of the organisations we work with are surprised to learn how simple the process is.”
It is hoped that this increased provision of BSL documents will continue as new information is published by the Office of the PCC.
The BSL version of the Police and Crime Plan can be found on the BSL Hub on the OPCC website here: BSL Hub | Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner North Wales and also on their YouTube, here: PCC Andy Dunbobbin’s Police and Crime Plan for North Wales (BSL)
