Force supports Welsh Language Rights Day
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Today, Wednesday December 7th is Welsh Language Rights Day, where public organisations across Wales will be holding a one-day campaign to raise awareness of the public's rights to use the Welsh language.
Organised by the Welsh Language Commissioner, dozens of public organisations across Wales have joined the celebrations by promoting their Welsh language services.
The annual event is held on the date the Welsh Language Measure came into force over a decade ago. Welsh language standards have created the rights, and hundreds of public organisations are operating these standards: from the emergency services, to health boards, local authorities, colleges, universities and national organisations.
Contacting North Wales Police:
Did you know that you can:
- Talk to us in Welsh on the phone
- Write to us via letter, social media or email in Welsh
- Access information in Welsh or English via our bilingual website
- Complain to us in Welsh or English if things go wrong
- Apply for jobs and go through the recruitment process in the Welsh language
In addition, our officers and staff also have the right to access services and resources in Welsh when working or volunteering with North Wales Police.
Deputy Chief Constable and Chair of North Wales Police’s Welsh Language Group, Richard Debicki said: “We are proud to be part of the campaign once again this year. For many years we have acknowledged the importance of the Welsh language and bilingualism in our Welsh language strategies and schemes.
“We are fortunate to have a good percentage of the workforce who are Welsh speakers and they are able to provide the residents of North Wales with a high standard of service in Welsh. We also have many staff who are learning though our own courses or developing their Welsh skills and confidence to use them with the support of our network of Welsh Language Champions.
“We take our responsibilities to our bilingual and Welsh speaking communities very seriously. Over the years we have developed a number of initiatives to improve our ability to demonstrate linguistic courtesy and to offer a genuine language choice to the public.
He added: “It is vitally important to ensure that the public receives a language choice, and access to officers and staff who are able to deal with their problem through the Welsh language. Providing language choice from the first step is very important - from the control room picking up the phone, to a member of staff arriving at the incident, and then to members of specialist units. Furthermore, there is no doubt that some people will be more willing to cooperate with us, to build a relationship with us and to provide us with information through the medium of the Welsh language.
“We are proud of our commitment to using the Welsh language as we provide protection and reassurance to the public. The ability to communicate clearly is a vital tool in policing and we want people to receive the highest level of service from North Wales Police when they reach out to us, but also in the language they feel most comfortable using.”
You can support the campaign on social media by following the #MaeGenIiHawl hashtag or visit the www.welshlanguagecommissioner.wales website
