Asked by Sean Lynch, a new Independent member for Erne East on the Fermanagh District Policing Partnership Board, how many PSNI officers under his command were fluent Irish speakers, Chief Inspector Alwyin Barton dealt out some surprises in his answer.

He believed he had some officers with this ability, but he told Mr Lynch that his question could breach an individual officer's Section 75 equality entitlement and their Article 8 Right under the European Convention on Human Rights, to privacy.

BASIC GRASP

Asked what provisions had been made to provide Irish classes to officers in his command, Mr Barton revealed that the PSNI offered Irish language classes to its officers. These were on a voluntary basis, provided a basic grasp and were invariably filled to capacity.

Asked if all PSNI stations had welcome signs in Irish, he said, 'Yes', the PSNI had a poster with the word, 'Welcome' in 37 languages, including Irish. This poster, members were told, is displayed in enquiry offices and custody suites.

He was then asked how PSNI officers dealt with Irish speakers who wished to conduct their dealings with the PSNI through the medium of Irish?

He was informed that the PSNI had an interpretation contract, 'F' District (Fermanagh) being the largest user of this contract.

"Whether an officer is fluent in a second language or not,' Mr Barton added, " does not exempt them from using the interpreting service as we require a process that requires integrity in court".

Yes, he said, he believed that some PSNI officers in his command spoke languages other than Irish or English.

He went on: "Again, I have not sought the information directly in case it is perceived by the officer as an invasion of privacy, but it should be noted that the second language we do require most within 'F' District, and Fermanagh in particular, is an eastern European language such as Polish or a variation of Russian'.