HC Deb 17 January 1997 vol 288 c396W
Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police receive in communicating and making contact with deaf-blind people. [9471]

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 16 January 1997]: There is no national training aimed specifically at how police officers should communicate or make contact with deaf-blind people although the probationer foundation training programme seeks to establish a general awareness and understanding of the special needs of people the police are likely to encounter. There are, however, special provisions for dealing with people in police custody who appear to be blind or deaf and training in the requirements of the relevant Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 codes of practice is included in the custody officer training package which is available to all forces.

It is the responsibility of individual chief officers to ensure that their officers are suitably trained for the duties that they undertake.