Police Spent Nearly Half a Million Pounds on Translators

According to Nottinghamshire's Tory Police and Crime Commissioner candidate, police translators cost the force almost half a million pounds last year.

Tony Harper, Nottinghamshire's conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner at next year's elections, says police spent almost half a million pounds on interpreters last year. Recent figures showed that from June 2014 to May 2015, Nottinghamshire Police spend £466,701 on translators compared with £420,895 in the year 2013-2014 and £384,936 in 2012-2013.

Tony Harper, a former Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire inspector, said:

"The police is short of funds and we have got to look at ways of saving money.

"I have got no objection to spending money on translators, it's important when interviewing any foreign nationals - it's vital that we have a transparent service.

"But I find it really difficult to believe that, in the case of Polish, that we are spending nearly a quarter of a million pounds when you could employ someone full-time which I've read costs about £25,000."

The majority of the cost came as a result of Polish interpretation at £226,119.48, which Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping attributed to the investigation into the murder of Polish national Bogdan Nawrocki.

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