Police Constable Donovan, leading work with newcomers for South Wales Police, noticed that many newcomers had an inherent fear of the police as a result of their past experiences. He heard stories about asylum seekers having been beaten, robbed and even raped by the police in their home countries.

"I felt it was so important to try and remove these fears and change their perceptions. I wanted these individuals to realize that the Police in the UK were friendly and would not pose them any concerns and for them to realize that the Police were there to protect and look after them, recognizing their vulnerabilities starting a totally new life" remembers Police Constable Donovan.

Looking for an opportunity to connect with this community, he approached Susan Morris, Cardiff English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) services and together they designed a course to provide asylum seekers with an understanding of their respective rights and responsibilities, while building a relationship of trust with them.

Newcomer communities.

Police ESOL is a course that teaches English as it builds relationships between law enforcement officers and the new migrant community. It also focuses on providing students with practical knowledge about law and policing in the UK.

Designed as a series of 10, two-hour sessions, the course includes topics such as "An Introduction to the Police", "Dealing with an Emergency", "Child Safety in the UK" and "Driving in the UK."

Each session is intended to give students confidence in the police, a sense of what they do and an understanding of UK laws, while developing core written and spoken English skills.

Police ESOL is an example of a programme that provides new arrivals with useful cultural information, core language skills and actively looks to preempt potential community relationship problems.

The ESOL course was popular with students. Feedback showed that the classes succeeded in strengthening their confidence in the Police, their comfort in the UK and improving their written and spoken English. The women only ESOL classes that were held in primary schools were particularly appreciated.

Cardiff Police now encourage increasing numbers of officers to attend these classes and to share in the outreach experience. Following a successful pilot, the course is now being held at resource centres across Cardiff with lessons taught by ESOL staff in conjunction with community beat officers.

The success of this community policing initiative has been recognized and adapted by other communities. For example, Sheffield College has adopted the course for ESOL students at the community college who might be considering police related career options, adding a work placement and volunteer component to the program. Police in South Yorkshire, England are also actively encouraging ethnic minorities to attend Police ESOL training course.

The approach of the course was taken on board and put into general guidance by the Basic Skills Agency in course materials published in 2005.

The document is available here: http://www.learningobservatory.com/uploads/publications/784.pdf

South Wales Police.