Officer's sign language skills empower community policing

A Wrexham police officer has spoken candidly about the positive impact that learning sign language has had on her personal and professional life.

It comes as part of British Sign Language (BSL) Awareness Week, which began yesterday (17 March), an annual celebration of BSL and the deaf community, held to recognise BSL as an official language and to promote awareness, education, and inclusivity.

PC Danielle Fleming was 16 years old when a bus she was travelling on had broken down, leaving an elderly couple she was sat opposite in distress. 

 “I could see they were signing, but I didn’t really understand it at the time,” PC Fleming said.  

“I went home that night, and I felt awful that I hadn’t been able to help them.  

“I know it can sound a bit cheese on toast, but I just love looking after people, it’s always been in my nature.”  

Over the following weeks, she researched sign language and ended up enrolling on a course, leaving with a qualification in Level 1 BSL, which she continues to develop on today.

PC Fleming, now 37, added: “I found it so interesting, and I just wanted to learn more and more.”  

Ten years later, she joined North Wales Police – a dream she had worked hard for.  

“I was the first in my family to join the police,” she said.   

“I wasn’t really brought up with an expectation to go to go to university. The expectation was to go to school, go to college and go and get a job”.   

“But I always knew I wanted to break that cycle and follow my dream.”  

Within her first week as an officer, she was assisting with the search for a wanted man, who was hiding in a flat owned by a profoundly deaf man.   

“When we got there, the owner opened the door, but officers were struggling to communicate with him,” she added.   

“I told them I could sign, so I went to speak to him to explain why we were there.  

“From that day onwards, I never had any issues with that man again, due to knowing I was trying my best to communicate with him via BSL - that was so rewarding.”  

Little did she know that her BSL skills would help her as a police officer as well as eventually enabling her to communicate with her non-verbal son who, at the age of two-and-a-half, was diagnosed with autism.   

“Not being able to verbally communicate with him was difficult,” she admitted.  

“Unless you have someone close to you with autism, it’s difficult to truly understand how challenging it can be.  

“One day, I started signing with him to see if he’d pick anything up. I started doing little games with him, and while we were playing, I would ask him if he was happy or sad, and it got his attention which was huge, because he never really made eye contact.   

“He doesn’t like big crowds or different spaces, and a few days later, we were out and about, and he started signing something to me.   

“I asked him what was wrong, and he signed it was a bit much and a bit loud for him. That day, his behaviour and his reaction was different to what it had ever been before.  

“I couldn’t believe it had worked.  So, I started learning a bit more than what I’d learnt on the course, and together we learned more signs which helped him communicate even more.   

“He felt he was being heard through sign. He is now eight, and we still sign to this day in our own little way.”   

Now a demand reduction officer, PC Fleming continues to champion BSL in her work and uses it as a gateway of communication with anyone with sensory loss who comes into contact with police in the city.   

She has also recently joined the North Wales Police choir to ensure anyone with sensory loss can be included in their performances. 

“I can’t sing, I sound like a cat, but I really loved the idea behind it,” she said. “Any money raised through the choir goes to a local charity, which is amazing, so I joined.  

“And then I thought how I could use my skills to support those coming to see the choir who might have sensory loss.   

“So, I practiced and practiced as much as I could and now, I can fully sign one of the songs.”  

Following her first performance at Christmas, she added: “People came up to me afterwards and they thanked me for doing it.  

“It made me realise that even those who don’t have any sensory loss still enjoyed the visual aspect to it, so it was for everyone.  

“I’m no expert at signing, but I’m learning as much as I can, where I can.”  

In a message to the deaf community, PC Fleming said: “We are here for you too. Please don’t be afraid to come and talk to us and we cater for anybody’s needs.  

“And if there’s anyone who sees me signing and think they can help me improve, please come and teach me so I can help even more people.”  

Anyone seeking support with BSL can contact the Deaf Support Network on their website here: About - dsn