Discover how police forces use expert, technology-led language services from Dals to ensure everyone is understood and keep law enforcement equitable for all.
In the dynamic and demanding environment of law enforcement, effective communication is paramount. For police forces, partnering with a reliable language service provider can significantly enhance operational efficiency and ensure justice is upheld.
This blog post explores the diverse and evolving language needs of policing in the UK and how these can be solved with high-quality telephone, video remote and face to face interpreting services from Dals. We will explore the essential need for police forces to have a contracted language service provider to ensure the upkeeping of equality, efficiency and accuracy throughout the justice sector.
Topics covered:
Language service providers are indispensable in police work. Their language expertise, network of interpreters and purpose-built technology support police with everything from interviews to investigations. Having a reliable language service provider means communication barriers do not hinder the pursuit of justice.
As the UK becomes increasingly diverse, many citizens served by police forces have limited English proficiency. Without readily available professional interpreting, this can create significant communication challenges during interactions with law enforcement.
As the contracted language service provider for several police constabularies who together serve millions of citizens, Dals helps bridge this gap and ensures effective communication with all community members.
Police interactions with the public are often unplanned. Whether an officer needs to speak to someone in public or an individual visits a police station, immediate access to interpreting services is crucial.
Dals offers on-demand video remote and telephone interpreting, allowing police officers to instantly connect with an interpreter and facilitate communication. This service is supported by Dals’s secure platform, which logs the call’s date, time and duration for a police force’s records.
Police forces deal with confidential information every day. Law enforcement bodies are obliged to ensure the appropriate security of such data, using extensive technical and organisational measures to protect it.
At Dals, we understand that data protection is of the upmost importance for the justice sector.
Dals guarantees that all police data processed through our systems remains confidential. Our automated booking platform and interpreting app hold 256-bit encryption, the same used by online banking systems. We are also certified with Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 Information Security Management.
In the fast-paced world of policing, time is of the essence. When a suspect is in custody, the limited holding time can be quickly eaten up if there is a language barrier. Dals’s on-demand remote interpreting and easy-to-book in-person interpreting services ensure that professional linguists are available promptly, preventing delays and maintaining the efficiency of police operations.
Police work is a round-the-clock responsibility. Dals provides interpreting services 24/7, ensuring that language barriers never impede effective policing, regardless of the time of day or night.
A limited English speaker may use friends and family members to interpret for them in day-to-day life. However, relying on these people to interpret in police matters is both unsuitable and risky. They may have biases or lack the necessary skills and knowledge, potentially compromising the accuracy of communication.
This issue is particularly problematic when limited English speakers rely on their children to interpret for them. Involving children in legal matters can lead to significant complications and safeguarding risks. They are not equipped to handle the complexities of legal language and proceedings, which can result in miscommunication and can put them in a vulnerable position.
Dals ensures that all of its police interpreters are fully vetted and DBS checked, providing professional and reliable interpreting services that meet the extremely high standards required in law enforcement. The interpreters receive continuous training and work closely with our dedicated Justice Sector department to ensure they are up to date with UK policing procedures, standards and regulations.
The Justice Sector team also works with the communities of Dals’s police force clients to further promote better communication between members of the public and law enforcement. Within the past year alone, Dals has visited prisons to give talks on language industry careers and led a workshop on how police officers can follow best practice when communicating with BSL users.
By partnering with Dals, police forces overcome communication barriers, enhance their operational efficiency and ensure that justice is served fairly and effectively. With Dals’s comprehensive and reliable language services, police forces are better equipped to serve their diverse communities and uphold the law.
When law enforcement bodies utilise the leading and essential language services of Dals, we help ensure everyone is better understood and treated fairly in the justice system.
Dals is currently contracted to deliver their interpreting needs with efficiency, care and accuracy by police forces across the UK.
Get in touch to enquire about our trusted language services, flexible to each organisation’s needs.
If you would like to know more about our language services, please get in contact and our team will soon be in touch.
