Thursday, November 29, 2007
Speaking the language.
This is not an April Fool's Day newspaper story but a tale of targetted Policing...
Police are to receive Polish lessons to help them deal more effectively with migrant workers. Constables on the beat, front desk staff and community support officers at Lincolnshire Police will learn basic Polish phrases from February. Polish is the most commonly used language among the county's migrant workforce, according to police. John Horton, the community engagement co-ordinator, said that staff will not be expected to become fluent speakers. He said: "The training is a few basic words and phrases and how to pronounce Polish names.
...John Horton means well but where do we draw the line? In London there are over 300 languages spoken everyday. It is basic etiquette to be able to speak some of the language of your host nation. I feel that these training sessions could be put to better use. These Polish people have chosen to come here and our language should be their problem not ours. Foreign criminals will always play the "I cannot speak English" game when they have done wrong so the best thing to do is to arrest them and wait for an interpretor to assist. As regards learning a basic phrase to use in Polish, one springs straight to my mind, "Go away" because we all know what the Polish migrant workers have done to ordinary British workers pay and conditions.
This is not an April Fool's Day newspaper story but a tale of targetted Policing...
Police are to receive Polish lessons to help them deal more effectively with migrant workers. Constables on the beat, front desk staff and community support officers at Lincolnshire Police will learn basic Polish phrases from February. Polish is the most commonly used language among the county's migrant workforce, according to police. John Horton, the community engagement co-ordinator, said that staff will not be expected to become fluent speakers. He said: "The training is a few basic words and phrases and how to pronounce Polish names.
...John Horton means well but where do we draw the line? In London there are over 300 languages spoken everyday. It is basic etiquette to be able to speak some of the language of your host nation. I feel that these training sessions could be put to better use. These Polish people have chosen to come here and our language should be their problem not ours. Foreign criminals will always play the "I cannot speak English" game when they have done wrong so the best thing to do is to arrest them and wait for an interpretor to assist. As regards learning a basic phrase to use in Polish, one springs straight to my mind, "Go away" because we all know what the Polish migrant workers have done to ordinary British workers pay and conditions.
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