Welsh-medium academic and practical training is offered to new and current officers at Dyfed-Powys Police following a new partnership with Coleg Cymraeg. The first group started the Welsh-language training in September 2022. During a visit to see the first group to receive the training at Dyfed-Powys Police Headquarters, Dr Richard Lewis, the Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, said:
“We as Welsh speakers have been too willing over the years to receive services through the medium of English. We need to change that internally at Dyfed-Powys Police to ensure there is a Welsh-language service. The Welsh language is an integral part of many of the communities that we police in the Dyfed-Powys area, and it is extremely important for us to show respect towards Welsh-language and Welsh communities by offering them a completely bilingual policing service.”
In a special event at the force’s headquarters in Carmarthen, representatives from the police service and senior officers from Coleg Cymraeg saw over 35 officers start their training, which has been described by Dr Dafydd Trystan, the Registrar at Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, as an “innovative” scheme:
"It’s very exciting to see Dyfed-Powys Police stepping forward with Welsh-language and bilingual provision for its recruits”, he said.
“Developing a bilingual workforce is a key part of reaching the Welsh Government’s target of ensuring a million Welsh speakers and doubling the daily use of the language. The Coleg has been supporting the development of Welsh provision for Policing degree courses for undergraduates at the University of South Wales for several years and is very proud to be collaborating with Dyfed-Powys Police and the University of South Wales to expand the bilingual training available to trainee police officers.
“The proactive attitude of Dyfed-Powys Police, the Chief Constable, and the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner is an example for others to follow across the public sector.”
As part of their academic training, students will have access to new Welsh-medium learning resources, and, from this point, they will be able to present their work and conduct professional discussions in Welsh. Learning resources have also been developed for the practical elements of the training, such as role-playing, and driving and interviewing training through the medium of Welsh.
Trainee officers without Welsh skills, or who are learning the language, will also have opportunities to develop their language skills via practical scenarios and additional workshops, and trainee officers who speak Welsh will be their mentors.
Dr Richard Lewis, the Chief Constable, said that there are far-reaching benefits to working towards having a bilingual force:
"I remember my time as a police officer, when I was working on the streets, how much more information I would get, and on some occasions, how much more people would trust me as a police officer if they considered that I could speak the language. There will be a whole force in the future of people who can do that and I hope that the service that we can offer to the public is better, and that the information that we receive from the communities is also better.”
According to Dafydd Llywelyn, the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner, the training scheme is a key step towards changing the culture within the force and showing Dyfed-Powys Police’s commitment to the Welsh language:
"We are responding to the Welsh Government’s challenge to contribute towards its strategy to increase the number of Welsh speakers. There is an acknowledgment that there are years of hard work in front of us as a force to increase the use of the Welsh language so that it’s visible to the community and also internally, but I hope that today is the first step on the journey and it’s a very positive step for us as a force.
“I’m very grateful to Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol for the guidance and support in developing Welsh-language provision, and for supporting the vision of the Chief Constable and myself.”
Students who achieve a third of their academic qualification through the medium of Welsh will be able to apply for an Incentive Scholarship from Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.